TEENAGE keeper Billy Carrington had never even played a first team game for Rossendale United seven days ago.

Now the 17-year-old, who aptly for a keeper works at KwikSave in Rawtenstall, is the toast of the club after almost single-handedly earning Dale a draw in the FA Cup third qualifying round at Barrow on Saturday.

He was thrown in at the deep end after an injury to first choice keeper Mark Andrews left him as the only keeper at the club.

Manager Jim McCluskie tried to make a last-ditch signing but the FA would not bend the seven-day rule that says players must be signed to a club for a week before they can play in an FA Cup tie.

So Carrington, carrying a slight hamstring strain picked up during the 3-1 defeat to Radcliffe Borough last Tuesday, made his FA Cup debut -- and hardly put a foot wrong in front of a bumper crowd of 1,500.

Now the former Fearns pupil wants a perfect end to his Roy of the Rovers fairytale with a shock win in tonight's replay at Dark Lane.

"I am confident," said Carrington. "They were a strong side, very physical and the game was much faster, too.

"I was nervous, especially with playing in front of all those fans. The most I have played in front of before is about 100.

"Jimmy (McCluskie) said just do your job, ignore the fans and concentrate for 90 minutes.

"All the fans behind the goal were shouting that I was just out of nappies and things like that. It didn't bother me, it made me more confident that I wanted to prove them wrong."

It was a nightmare start for Dale, though, as Barrow opened the scoring after just eight minutes .

McCluskie admitted after the game that it was the worst thing that could have happened against a team like Barrow.

"I thought we were going to get beat after that early goal went in," said Carrington, who lives in Waterfoot. "It was a free header on the back post from a corner."

Asked where his defence was at the time, Carrington said: "Protecting me. I think they thought I needed it."

But he later proved he didn't need any protection by pulling off some top-notch saves.

"The highlights for me were a few saves in the second half, one going into the top corner and one down low which really kept us in the game," he said.

Carrington hopes the first team chance and a possible FA Cup run -- a home draw against Chester City awaits the winner of tonight's tie -- will be the springboard for a return to League football.

He was a trainee at Halifax but failed to win a professional contract and had a spell on trial at Rochdale.

"I have been at Rossendale since I was 15," said the former Lancashire Under 15s keeper, who is just six feet tall.

"The club is really going places at the moment and I feel like I could move on to bigger and better things with them.

"I was at Rochdale and they wanted to offer me a contract but they were a bit short of money because they were building a new stand.

"So I came to Rossendale but I didn't think I would get my first team chance this early.

"I just hope I can get the job done and maybe give Mark a run for his money when he gets fit again."