Sydney FC keeper Andrew Redmayne inspired by Dolly Parton

Sydney FC goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne is making a habit of saving penalties.

Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne saves a penalty against Melbourne City. Picture: Getty Images

The great Italian goalkeeper ­Gianluigi Buffon once said: “In the end, you need to be a little masochistic to be a goalkeeper. A masochist and egocentric as well.”

Sydney FC man of the moment Andrew Redmayne may never reach the great heights of the Italy and Juventus legend and it might be a bit of a long bow to include him in Buffon’s one-size-fits-all category. But any goalkeeper, or any footballer for that matter, who can use a Dolly Parton quote to sum up a remarkable turnaround in form has to be treated with more than a passing interest.

Now the regular No 1 with Sydney, Redmayne, 30, has become a cult hero with the Sky Blues faithful and has made a name for himself in the A-League in recent times because of his heroics in goal.

It is not just for some of his saves, a number of which have been downright spectacular, but more for incredible feats in penalty situations, where he has now saved three in the space of 37 days and two in the past three rounds.

The latest came in the 2-0 win over Melbourne City at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday. With Sydney clinging to a 1-0 lead, City were awarded a spot kick just 11 minutes from full-time.

Redmayne went through his usual routine of jumping up and down on the spot, arms outstretched trying to put off City’s Riley McGree before picking the right way, diving to his right and keeping the ball out with his legs. As the stadium erupted, his joy was palpable as he flung his arms in the air in triumph.

Redmayne had done the same in saving a penalty from Brisbane Roar’s Adam Taggart in round 10 when Sydney had led 2-1, and one against Wellington Phoenix’s Roy Krishna with Sydney leading 1-0. Both those saves came with just five minutes left in the game.

If you equate the cost of the saves into points, then he has saved his side six valuable competition points that have kept the Sky Blues in contention for a third straight Premiers Plate.

Redmayne is at first perplexed when asked the secret to his success in penalty situations.

“I’ve just caught the bug to be honest,” he said. “I haven’t saved one my whole career and now I have saved four (including one in the FFA Cup). I don’t know what’s happened.”

Surely you have worked on it, done something different in training?

“No. I prefer not to have to do it (save penalties),” he said. “Tim Paine never won a toss then tossed it left-handed and won (the toss). You toss a coin and hope it comes the right way. It’s come up trumps this season and that’s it.”

Redmayne became the target of some amusing social media posts after his save against Phoenix when he exaggerated his antics by throwing his arms and legs around in the air as if he was being controlled by a puppeteer before Krishna took his spot kick.

“You are a sitting duck anyway, so you may as well try and do something and put them off,” he said of his pre-penalty antics.

So where does Dolly Parton fit into all of this exactly?

Redmayne, who has had stints at Central Coast Mariners, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers, credits the highly regarded Sydney FC goalkeeper coach John Crawley for his renaissance.

Much maligned during his time at the Wanderers, he moved to Sydney in a swap deal with Vedran Janjetovic in round 13 of the 2016-17 season. The Wanderers fans were cock-a-hoop that they had got the better of the deal. How times change.

Redmyane, who has won a Premiers Plate and FFA Cup with Sydney since the move, has fed off a Parton quote he saw in a documentary about the entertainer.

“The quote ‘find who you are and do it on purpose’ has stuck with me,” the 30-year-old said. “John has been working on things specific to me, that is what is so good about him.

“It is not just about the text book. It is about what are Redders’ strengths? What are Vuka’s (Socceroos and former Sydney FC goalkeeper Danny Vukovic) strengths? What are (Socceroos goalkeeper, Mat) Ryan’s strengths? He builds a goalkeeper around that, builds drills around that and lets you harness those talents.

“It’s not just an open book and that every goalkeeper is black and white. There are many grey areas, many colourful areas.

“Goalkeeping is so misunderstood at times and John seems to be able to understand it and harness the potential and raw ability that goalkeepers have.”