A player's first appearance is always special and stories concerning memorable debuts are legion within the game. However, not every debut goes according to plan, especially if you're a goalkeeper…

The Good
Tony Coton's professional career got off to a flying start in 1980 when he saved a penalty with his first touch of the game after just 85 seconds when making his League debut with Birmingham City.

Twenty years on and another young goalkeeper emulated Tony Coton's heriocs by saving a penalty with his first touch of the ball, but in Barry Roche's case, the circumstances were somewhat more dramatic. Roche made his League debut for Nottingham Forest at the end of a Division One clash against Crystal Palace after first choice keeper Dave Beasant was sent off. The first thing the young goalie had to do was to face a penalty - not once but twice. Jason Gray's first spot kick found its mark but the ref ordered the Palace player to retake it after his team-mates encroached into the box. But Gray saw his second effort saved by Roche and Forest held on to win 3-2. The 18-year-old keeper's debut lasted just two minutes but by the time the final whistle blew he was already a hero to the Forest faithful.

In May, 2001, Luton Town's Scott Ward emulated Jason Gray by saving a spot kick after coming on as a sub to make his League debut. 17-year-old Ward replaced the Hatters' regular goalkeeper Mark Ovendale after he was sent off late on in League game against Brentford and made a fine save from Lloyd Owusu's resultant spot-kick. The game ended 2-2.

Playing at Anfield can be a nervy experience at the best of times, but one can only guess what went through West Brom keeper Joe Murphy's mind when he was thrust into the action in September 2002 after Russell Hoult had been sent off. Murphy, who was making his first appearance on the Albion bench, let alone first team, showed no signs of nerves, however, as he saved Michael Owen's penatly kick with his first touch of the game.

Danish keeper Jan Budtz managed to go one better when making his debut for Doncaster Rovers in a Carling Cup Second Round tie against Manchester City in 2005. He came on in the 105th minute for the injured Andy Warrington and then saved two of City's penalties in the subsequent shoot-out to send the League One side through to the next round of the competition.

Marc de Clerc's debut for Aberdeen in 1980 was just as dramatic. After just 22 minutes of play he scored with a goal clearance that bounced straight passed his opposite number.

Sheffield Wednesday's Ron Springett (pictured) saved a Jimmy McIlroy penalty on his England debut against Northern Ireland in 1959.

Belgium's Jean-Marie Pfaff also saved a penalty on his international debut against Holland in 1976.

Former Coventry City goalie Reg Matthews made his England debut in 1956 while still playing Third Division football. He went on to win five caps in total to become the most capped Third Division footballerever to play for England.

Crystal Palace's Vic Rouse was a Fourth Division player when he made his international debut for Wales against Northern Ireland in 1959 and was the first player from the League's bottom division to win a full cap (we won't mention the small fact that he conceded four goals...)

Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Foster became the youngest person to play in the First Division when he made his debut against Leicester City at the start of the 1964/65 season aged 15 years and 185 days.

Manchester United's Tim Howard saved two spot kicks on his debut for the Old Trafford side, denying Arsenal's Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Robert Pires as United won the 2003 Community Shield on penalties. Arsenal's Jen Lehmann also made his debut in the same game and saved Ruud Van Nistelrooy's penalty.

Speaking of Manchester United, Fabien Barthez's loan spell at Marsaille in January 2004 got off to a flying start when he made his debut against Strasbourg in a French cup tie. After the game had finished 1-1, Barthez took centre-stage in the penalty shoot-out, saving two and scoring Marsaille's decisive penalty to send them through to the next round!

Peter Brezovan's debut for Swindon Town in 2006 was a dramatic affair, with the keeper saving two penalties, the first of which was after only three minutes. Brezovan first saved from Hartlepool's Joel Porter then from Ritchie Humphreys in the second-half. Town won 1-0.

Having pulled down Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor for the initial foul, Manchester United's Tomasz Kuszczak made ammends by saving Gilberto's penalty in the twelth minute of his debut for the Old Trafford club.

Welsh international Jason Brown also saved a penalty on his debut for Blackburn Rovers, having come on at half-time for the injured Brad Friedel. The former Gillingham keeper stopped Svetoslav Todorov spot-kick - and the follow up - as Rovers beat Wigan Athletic 2-1.

Portuguese keeper Rui Patrício saved a penalty in his first ever senior game as Sporting Lisbon ran out 1-0 winners against Marítimo.

The Bad
Les Surman made his debut for Charlton Athletic in 1965 conceded three goals - including a back header from team-mate Billy Bonds in the first minute - and never played for the club again.

Dennis Murray had slightly better luck with Crewe Alexandra. He made one further appearance for the club after he let in nine goals on his debut in 1951.

Former Welsh International Dai Davies managed to score an own goal in the first fifteen minutes of his debut for Everton.

Middlesbrough's Reginald Williamson had the misfortune of scoring an own goal on his international debut in 1905. Only Everton's Richard Wright has managed to do the same in England colours.

In 1934, S. Milton made his debut for Halifax Town against Stockport County. He let in no fewer than 13 goals.

Former Walsall and Southend United goalkeeper Carl Emberson's professional debut was less than auspicious. Selected to play for Millwall against local rivals Crystal Palace in an Anglo-Italian Cup-tie in 1993, he was sent off and never played for the club again…

Another Millwall goalie to suffer an ignominious debut was Fred Fox. Selected to play for England against France in 1925, he was injured while being barged into the net for France's second goal and had to leave the field of play….

There must be something in the water in South London. In April 1947, Tommy Francis played his one and only goal for The Lions and was on the receiving end of a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City.

Brian Gambrill was also hit by the Cold Blow Lane curse when he deputised for Alex Stepney in a League Cup tie against Peterborough United at The Den. The former paratrooper let in a couple of howlers as Millwall lost 4-1 at home.

Former Arsenal and Aston Villa goalie Jimmy Rimmer never really had an appetite for the big occasion. He started but never finished his only England match as well as the 1982 European Cup Final. England were already 2-0 down when he was substituted at half time in a game against Italy in 1976 (England came back in the second half to win 3-2).

Bert Williams managed to concede a goal after just 28 seconds on his England debut against France in 1949. Despite this setback, England won 3-1.

The honour (?) of being England's worst ever debutant between the sticks falls to one Conrad Warner, who let in seven in a game against the Auld Enemy in 1878.

Depsite making his debut on his 21st birthday, Packie Bonner's international career with the Republic of Ireland hardly got off to the best of starts as he conceded a goal within 90 seconds of the start against Poland in 1981.

In 1961, Italian goalkeeper Giuseppe Vavassori won his first cap when he came on for the injured Renzo Buffon after the Italian captain had broken his nose on England's Johnny Haynes' knee. He let in two goals, including one that went between his legs, and never played for his country again - his international career lasted 34 minutes.

Another goalie who had a somewhat less than auspicious international career was Northern Ireland keeper Pat Kelly, who conceded eight goals on his debut against Scotland in 1949. Unsurprisingly, he was never picked for his country again.

One goalkeeper who could have sympathised with Kelly was Irishman J. Hamilton, who had the distinction of being Ireland's first ever international keeper. He let in 13 as England notched up their biggest ever victory in a first class international.

Former Southampton goalie Peter Wells had a debut he'd rather forget when he went on loan to Millwall during the 1982/83 season, letting in five as Huddersfield Town demolished The Lions at Leeds Road.

Conversely, Tim Flowers must have wished he hadn't got clearance to play for Stockport County in time to face Millwall in a First Division clash in October 2001. He ended up on the receiving end of a 4-0 thumping as The Lions ran rampant. Only the timely intervention of two defenders on the goal-line prevented a heavier scoreline. The former England international had gone on-loan to the Hatters in attempt to resurrect his career and only met his new teammates in the dressing room beforehand.

Andy Goram would probably rather forget his return to Oldham. He let in seven as Cardiff City ran riot in February, 2002. He then went on to let in five on his debut for Scottish side, Elgin City.

Charlton Athletic's Paul Rachubka suffered a similar fate when he went on-loan to Northampton Town and was on the receiving end of a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Mansfield Town.

Despite having an otherwise superb game, Crewe keeper Ben Williams will always remember his debut at Gretsy Road for the wrong reasons after he managed to score an own goal against Cardiff City in March 2004. Admittedly there was an element of rotten luck about it, but what made it seem so much worse was the fact it was the only goal of the game.

Andy Marshall probably had second thoughts following his debut after he accepted the offer of a loan move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The former Norwich City and Ipswich Town goalkeeper was beaten five times by Arsenal in his one and only game for the Midlands club.

There must be something about goalkeeping and the name Marshall. Celtic goalkeeper David Marshall had something of a nightmare start to his international career when he was selected to play for Scotland against Hungary in 2004. The Hungarians were gifted their third goal when Scottish defender Steven Pressley managed to cannon a clearance off of Marshall and into the back of the Scotland net, leaving the young debutant with an own goal against his name.

Drafted in on a short-term contract to replace the injured James Walker during 2003-04 season, Australian keeper Andy Petterson still gives Walsall fans nightmares. He conceded six goals on his debut as Coventry City ran rampant and was released after just three games.

Charlton goalkeeper Mike Salmon only played once for Oxford United - but it was still enough to be voted the club's worst ever player in a recent magazine poll. Signed on loan late one Friday evening in 1998, he made his debut the following day at the Manor Ground against Birmingham City and promptly let in seven goals. The 7-1 scoreline remains The U's biggest ever home defeat.

Albert Davies football career was very fleeting indeed. Having been stationed in Germany with the British Army, he returned home to his native Greenwich and was quickly snapped up by local side Millwall. But after a 3-0 reverse on his debut away to Queens Park Rangers, Davies was never selected again for The Lions or any other club.

It's fair to say that the start of Iain Turner's career with Everton has been less than auspicious. Having conceded four against Chelsea on his debut for The Toffees in the FA Cup on the Wednesday, he managed to get sent off after only nine minutes on his Premiership debut against Blackburn Rovers the following Saturday. His replacement against Rovers, fellow debutant John Ruddy, fared slightly better and kept a clean sheet.

A product of Hartlepool's Youth Development programme, Pools fans must have wondered what was going on with the club's youth set-up when goalkeeper Jim Provett made his senior debut in the LDV Vans Trophy in 2002 against Tranmere Rovers and promptly conceded five goals.

Steve Phillips' Bristol Rovers career didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts in August 2006 as Peterborough United fired four past him, including three before half-time.

French goalkeeper Lionel Cappone's debut for FC Lorient in October 2006 lasted all of 12 minutes, if that. Brought on for the injured Fabien Audard, he was sent off for a foul on the opposition's striker and had to be replaced by midfielder Ulrich Le Pen, who kept a clean sheet as Lorient beat Valenciennes 1-0.

In 2000, West Ham United somehow managed to give debuts to two different goalkeepers in consecutive games who then went on to concede four goals. First up was Stephen Bywater, who, at the age of 18, was handed his debut by manager Harry Redknapp after Shaka Hislop broke his leg in the opening minutes of an away game against Bradford City. The youngster was beaten four times before The Hammers came back to win the game 5-4 but Redknapp had seen enough to know that Bywater wasn't ready. The call went out for a goalkeeper to be brought in on an emergency loan and they ended up with Charlton Athletic's Sasa Ilic, who had fallen out of favour at The Valley. A 4-0 reverse followed and Ilic was on his way back to the South East London club after just one game.

Youngster Aaron Grundy was thrust into the limelight during the 2005/06 season after Bury's first-choice keeper Craig Dootson was shown the red card early on during their Football League Trophy tie against Halifax Town. The Shakers struggled to cope with only ten men and Grundy was on the receiving end of a 6-1 defeat in his first professional game.

Another keeper at the wrong end of a 6-1 scoreline on his debut was Ipswich Town goalie Paul Overton, who made his debut for the blues a week before their FA Cup Final in 1978 against Aston Villa. Villa ran rampant in what proved to be Overton's only ever League game, despite spells with Peterborough United and Northampon Town after he left Portman Road.

And The Quirky
Scottish keeper Jimmy McAulay played as a centre forward when he won his first cap against Wales in 1882.

Veteran goalie John 'Budgie' Burridge made his Premiership debut at the ripe old age of 43 when he turned out for Manchester City in 1995.

In 1947, New Brighton manager Neil McBain discovered that he didn't have a goalkeeper available for one match so the former Everton centre-half went in himself. In doing so, he became the oldest player ever to have played a professional League game, at the tender age of 52 years and four months. New Brigton lost 3-0.

Alexander Morten was possibly England's oldest debutant when he turned out against Scotland in 1873. Confusion over the year of his birth has meant that no one is really sure whether Morten was 40 or 42 when he kept goal. What is certain is that he was England's first ever goalkeeping captain and if he was born in 1831 it would make him England's oldest debutant, goalkeeper and captain!

In 1967, Celtic's Ronnie Simpson became Scotland's oldest ever debutant - and possibly the oldest post-war international debutant ever - when he turned out against England at Wembley at the age of 36. Twenty-two years earlier, Simpson set another Scottish record as the League's youngest ever debutant when he was selected for Queen's Park in 1945 at the tender age of 14.

Former Silkeborg IF goalkeeper Peter Kjær made his international debut for Denmark at the age of 35 in 2001, a Danish record.

Richard Wright certainly won't forget his international debut in a hurry. Having been selected to play against Malta in England's last warm-up match before Euro 2000, the 22-year-old keeper conceded two penalties, scored an own goal and was booked. He managed to avoid having a complete nightmare by saving Malta's second penalty to secure a 2-1 victory.

Another Euro 2000 keeper who won't forget his international debut in a hurry is Spain's Jose Molina. He came on as an outfield player during a 0-0 against Norway in 1996 after Spain ran out of match-fit players.

In 1875, William Carr, of Sheffield side Owlerton, arrived 15 minutes late for his international debut. It turned out to be his one an only game for England. He was the first international to play less than 90 minutes of football.

Scotland's Alan Rough won his first cap after first choice keeper David Harvey of Leeds United withdrew from the squad because two of the cows on his Yorkshire farm were about to give birth...

Rupert Anderson was just 19 years old when he won his one and only cap for England back in 1879. Nothing unusual about that except he played up front for his club Old Etonians and he was capped when selected goalie Rev W. Blackmore withdrew before the game. A snowbound pitch reduced his international career to a total of 60 minutes.

Former England keeper Chris Woods hadn't even made his League debut when he won a League Cup Winner's medal at the tender age of 18 with Nottingham Forest in 1978. He also picked up a couple of European Cup Winner's medals as a non-playing substitute before eventually making his League debut with Queens Park Rangers.

Dinamo Tbilisi's 17-year-old Giorgi Makaridze has the odd distinction of making his international debut before he had even turned out for his club side. Georgia's third-choice goalkeeper started against Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier in October 2007 and kept a clean sheet as they ran out 2-0 winners.

Nicky Culkin's Manchester United career was over almost as quickly as it started. Signed from York City in 1995, the youngster finally made his debut at the start of the 1999/2000 season when he came on for the injured Raimond Van Der Gouw at the end of a league game vs Arsenal. Unfortunately for Culkin, he just had enough time to take a goal kick before the ref blew for full time. His Manchester United career lasting all of six seconds! He was eventually released in 2002 and went on to play for Queens Park Rangers.

Morton Betts played in goal in his only international game for England, but was often a full back at club level and scored the only goal in the first ever FA Cup Final while playing up front.

When Ian Walker made his debut for Tottenham Hotspur, his dad Mike was manager of the opposition, Norwich City.

Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo had an eventful Premiership debut. After coming on for the injured Fabien Barthez during a game against Blackburn Rovers, his first contribution to the game was to haul down Rovers' striker Andy Cole for a penatly. By rights, he should have been sent off but he wasn't and made up for his error by saving David Dunn's subsequent spot-kick.

In 1958, Millwall's new signing Reg Davies turned up at Fellows Park, Walsall, to watch The Lions play The Saddlers in a League game and ended up making his debut when Syd Morgan was injured in the warm-up. Davies then had to replace his olive green jersey at half time because the referee couldn't distinguish him from his blue-clad teammates under the ground's floodlights.

Former Celtic keeper James Kennaway somehow managed to make his international debut three times. In 1928 he made his first appearance on the international scene for Canada against the USA. He then turned out between the sticks for the USA against Canada in 1930 before finally being capped by Scotland in 1933!

Former Charlton Athletic and Greenock Morton goalkeeper Charlie Wright had a strange international debut to say the least. Despite being born in Glasgow, he was called up by the Football Association of Hong Kong while on National Service in 1960 and played against Peru, saving a penalty in the process. The whole experience led to him being named Hong Kong Footballer of the Year.

Aston Villa's Nigel Spink had only made on league start when he was called upon to make his European debut in the final of the European Cup against Bayern Munich. He came on as a first half substitute for Jimmy Rimmer and kept as clean sheet as the Midlands side won 1-0.

In 1999, former Kidderminster Harriers' keeper Darren Steadman was granted a provisional day release from prison as part of a pre-release rehabilitation programme in order to make his debut for Dr. Martens outfit Worcester City in a reserve game against Telford United. Steadman, who was serving time for financial irregularities, played his part in a 5-1 victory before being driven back to jail by the authorities.

Italy's Francesco Toldo made his international debut in 1995 after Luca Bucci was sent off after only nine minutes in a game against Croatia.

In November 2005, Millwall Football Club found themselves in a spot of bother when a combination of injuries, unexpected retirements and cup-tied loan players conspired to leave them without a goalkeeper for their Fourth Round Carling Cup clash against Birmingham City. With time running out, they were allowed to bring in a goalkeeper on a seven-day emergency loan deal and duly signed Chelsea's Lenny Pidgeley, who went on to make his one and only appearance for The Lions against City, saving Jermaine Pennant's spot kick in the subsequent penalty shoot-out to boot!

Bolton Wanderers Sam Ashton made his debut for The Trotters as a centre forward after coming on for Jared Borgetti in the dying minutes of an FA Cup tie against Watford in 2006. Manager Sam Allardyce described the move as late Christmas present for a goalkeeper who has also played in defence when needed for Bolton's Youth team.

Former Wales international Paul Jones managed to achieve a rather special feat during the 2005/06 season by his debut for and against the same club during the same campaign. The ex-Southampton and Wolves keeper made his debut while on-loan at Millwall against Bristol Rovers in the Carling Cup in August and then made his first start for his new club Queens Park Rangers against The Lions the following February. The veteran goalie kept a clean sheet on both occasions.

Irish international Con Martin started his career as a goalkeeper but later played both centre-forward and centre-half for Aston Villa before returning to his rightful place between the sticks during the 1951/52 season. In all, Martin was capped in five different positions by Ireland, including goalkeeper.

Former Welsh international Andy Dibble got an unexpected present for his 17th birthday when turned up at Ninian Park to carry out his apprentice chores one Saturday afternoon in May, 1982. He was told he'd be making his league debut for Cardiff City that afternoon after first choice keeper Ron Healey dropped out of the side due to illness just an hour before kick-off.

Born in South Africa to Dutch parents, Ajax's Hans Vonk may have never played international football if it wasn't for a South African football magazine, who uncovered his eligibility which in turn lead to a call-up by the Bafana Bafana management team.

Gary Sprake's debut for Leeds United in 1962 was something of a dramatic affair after United's original first choice fell ill with a stomach complaint on the morning of the game against Southampton. With Sprake back in Leeds, the club paid for a chartered flight to get him to the game and the match was delayed to give the future Welsh international the chance to get to the ground, change and warm up!

Leeds United's Neil Sullivan ended up playing for Scotland after joking about his Scottish ancestry in a newspaper interview after being beaten by a David Beckham shot from the half-way line whilst playing for Wimbledon.

Italian goalkeeper Christian Abbiati's debut for AC Milan was a brief affair. Having signed from Monza, he made his debut as 92nd minute substitue for the injured Sebastiano Rossi.

Henrique Hilário probably didn't expect to start a game for Chelsea during the 2006/07 season, let alone a Champions League game, but injuries to both of The Blues' first choice keepers during a game against Reading thrust the Portugese goalie into the spotlight. Having had Petr Cech carried off in the first minute against The Royals with a serious head injury, the last thing boss Jose Mourinho would've wanted to see was his second-choice goalkeeper carried off as well but an injury in added-on time saw to that and forced the Chelsea manager to turn to his as yet untried third choice keeper for the game against Barcelona. And with the whole world watching, Hilário repaid his manager's faith by keeping a clean sheet.

Tom Farquharson, who kept goal for Cardiff City when they beat Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup Final, played international football for both Ireland (now Northern Ireland) and the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) during the inter-war years.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Watford goalkeeper Espen Baardsen played more than twenty times for Norway's Under-21 side and won another four caps for the senior national team, despite previously turning out for the United States Under-18 side and never having lived in Norway.

Stirling Albion's Scott Christie made his debut for the Scottish side at the tender age of 16... As a defender in a 3-0 victory over Brechin City!