Brad: That was for Luca
11th Apr 2012 - Latest News
Brad Jones dedicated his penalty save during the dramatic 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park to the memory of his late son Luca, who sadly passed away in November 2011 following a long battle with leukaemia.
After entering the field following the sending off of Alexander Doni, the Australian international made his first appearance in the Barclays Premier League for Liverpool, and with his first touch of the ball saved a penalty from former Middlesbrough teammate Yakubu.
"It was nice to save the penalty as it has been a difficult 18 months with losing my son, and maybe today he gave me that good fortune," said Jones.
"Luca is with me every day. I carry him everywhere as his picture is in my wash bag, his toys are in my travel bag and I take him everywhere, so in that sense I've definitely got someone watching over me."
On saving the spot-kick from his former colleague at the Riverside Stadium, Jones added: "Me and Yakubu were good mates at Middlesbrough and we still keep in touch. I used to work with him on penalties every Friday in training and maybe that gave me the heads up for the first one.
"For the second he went the other way, so it would have been nice to save them both but we are just happy with the win."
Following the red card shown to Doni, Jones now finds himself thrust into the spotlight with a FA Cup semi-final appearance against Everton at Wembley.
For the stopper, who last played for the first team in December 2010 against Utrecht in the Europa League, it is an occasion he is fully focused on the important job filling the gloves of the suspended Pepe Reina.
He added: "It hasn't really sunk in yet and it's not something I was expecting but it's just a case of getting focused and getting ready for the game at the weekend.
"These things can happen in football and you have just got to be prepared and have it in your mind that it can happen at any time.
"It has been difficult not being involved and with everything that has gone on, but I've trained as hard as I can and done as much as I can and hopefully that can stand me in good stead."
"I was ready to go on and try and do my best for the team and we got the right result in the end.
"My girlfriend Dani gave birth to a little boy, (Nico Luca Jones) last Wednesday, so it's been a hectic few days for us but also a good week.
"It's a big occasion on Saturday and we've just got to focus on the game and make sure we do the right thing and hopefully get the right result."
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