Neil’s huge save

Neil Etheridge elevates to thwart an attack on the Walsall goal by Shrewsbury Town in England’s League One.

Neil Etheridge kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel as he talked with passion and pride, his baritone reverberating inside the car.

The drive from Walsall, where he was playing his club football then, to London, where he was based, took three hours. Just a few minutes after League One side Walsall’s frustrating 0-1 loss to Macclesfield Town in an FA Cup game, Etheridge was in the mood for a talk on that cold November night.

Neil knew he could have done better, but he’d also been playing the game long enough not to worry about things that were beyond his control. Make no mistake about it, he’s all about winning. But Neil knew he couldn’t get too harsh on himself, too, with every defeat.

The drive is still Neil’s routine after each game. A day before the match, he travels to Walsall and stays in a hotel to prepare for the weekend game. During the season, he’s at the training ground at 9 a.m. and lifts weights in the afternoon.

Neil’s focus and attention to detail in an effort to become the best player he can be has always been impressive ever since he started playing for the Philippines in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup in Iloilo. Sure, he’s a specimen at 6 feet 3, but the swagger which has highlighted his early days with the Azkals has been replaced by an unmistakeable assurance and maturity.

Neil, whose mother, Merlinda Dula, hails from Tarlac, wasn’t always this way. He loved the spotlight and the parties, but these things don’t excite him much anymore.

“I’ve mellowed,” Neil tells the Inquirer. Neil’s answer begged another question: What happened? “Going jobless for a few months can do that to you. It makes you appreciate things that you have now,” he replies.

Three years ago, Neil thought about quitting the sport altogether. Neil was released by Fulham at the end of the 2014 season. But the timing of the release was awful because he had just aggravated an injury. Worse, he was left out by Azkals coach Thomas Dooley from the Peace Cup lineup, along with Stephan Schrock.

Neil sent out a tweet in response to his omission and that didn’t sit well with Dooley. “It was a really emotional time for me and I was hoping I could get a call-up for the national team so I could play and at the same time take my mind away from the struggle of looking for a club,” the keeper says.

Etheridge had been a reliable No. 1 for the Azkals. He’d been part of almost every major victory of the team since the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup in Vietnam. “But that (call-up) didn’t happen and I felt hurt,” he says. “It’s all in the past now.”

Neil stayed at Manchester United defender Chris Smalling’s place as he tried out for several clubs. Those clubs weren’t ready to give him the deal that he enjoyed at Fulham, which was just relegated to the Championship.

“I stayed on Chris’ couch for three weeks,” Neil recalls. “Probably the toughest time of my life. I had no job and was nowhere close to getting the deal that I wanted. My savings [were] running out. I was really depressed and Chris was one of those friends who helped me get through that tough time.”

Neil and Chris have been good friends since their days together at Fulham.

Left with little option, Neil took a massive pay cut. He needed an opportunity and Charlton gave him his chance to be seen by other clubs. That stint led to a deal with Walsall, a League One side with a loyal fan base, which he nearly led to promotion to the Championship a year ago.

“When you’re a player for a Premier League team, it’s easy to live in the moment, spend money and have that feeling that this career is never going to end,” says Neil, who had one Europa League appearance for Fulham. “But losing that job and dropping to the lower leagues will make you work harder and think about your future.”

Etheridge went on to play 81 matches for Walsall, compiling a highlight reel of spectacular performances.

Etheridge’s story takes extra significance on July 1 as he completes his lucrative move to Cardiff City, a Championship side, based in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff is looking to make a push for a place in the Premier League, and manager Neil Warnock has tipped Etheridge to be a key player in their drive back to the Premiership for the first time since 2014.

The impending transfer was the reason why Etheridge had to skip the Philippines’ “friendly” against China, as well as the Asian Cup Qualifying match against Tajikistan in Dushanbe on Tuesday.

“I have always put the Azkals first, but this is such a big move going to Cardiff and for once I have to step back and put my career first,” he says. “This contract is surreal to me. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet.”

Taking into account the lessons of the past, trust Neil to make the most out of this massive opportunity.