Caroll’s three matches in four days

So much for modern footballers needing rest and recuperation!

Former Hammers goalkeeper, Roy Carroll will line up in the FA Cup first round at Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night after being praised for his commitment of playing two games in 24 hours over the weekend.

The 37-year-old was between the sticks on Friday evening for Northern Ireland in the 2-0 defeat to Romania in Bucharest.

But that didn’t stop him jumping on a ‘plane at 5am and driving up the M1 from the airport to the Ricoh stadium to play for County the following afternoon at Coventry in a 1-0 clean sheet.

Not a problem says Carroll, who declared the 1700 mile trip was well worth it.

“For me, playing for Notts County back in the English league is fantastic,” said the ex West Ham number one.

“In the summer nobody was interested in me and Shaun Derry gave me an opportunity to come back to England and it’s a great pleasure for me to come back here and play for Notts County.”

Club boss Derry says he is comfortably the best goalkeeper in League One and at the weekend Notts County chairman Ray Trew hailed his attitude as going ‘well above the call of duty’ to play against Coventry. Tomorrow Carroll will re-ignite his love affair with the FA Cup.