Former Hibs’ goalkeeper Chris Maxwell recovered from Covid to become Blackpool’s FA Cup penalty shootout hero against Premier League West Bromwich Albion.
The game finished 2-2 then due to current regulations the game was decided by extra time and penalties.
Despite having been off for a week over Christmas and missing two games Maxwell saved spot-kicks from Kyle Edwards, Darnell Furnell and Matheus Pereira to knock Sam Allardyce’s side out of the tournament.
After the game he said: “It was awful. I was lying in bed for three days, not only feeling bad because a few symptoms hit me hard but also missing football.
“It was nice to come through it and be back in the fold. The win was no more than we deserved. We were excellent throughout the game and were certainly the better team making chances.
“We didn’t care we were up against Premier League opposition. We created more pressure.”
Blackpool manager Neil Critchley was delighted with his captain’s his all-round contribution and added: “After our Accrington game, Chris wasn’t feeling too good and missed 10 days training.
“He wasn’t great and for him to produce that sort of performance on his first game back speaks volumes for his character.
“He is a leader and that is why he is captain. I thought his save from Kyle Edwards in extra-time to take us to penalties was a top save.”
Maxwell Joined Hibs on loan from Preston North End in July 2019 as understudy for Ofir Marciano. He made his debut against Stirling Albion in the Betfred League Cup and played 17 times for the club. His final match was against Celtic at Parkhead.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
