In soccer annals, the year 1999 might be best known for Manchester United's stoppage time equalizer and winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
But three weeks earlier, another last-minute winning goal, scored by a goalkeeper, yes a goalkeeper, meant far more to Carlisle United supporters than a Champions League trophy.
Jimmy Glass was not even supposed to be on the pitch that day. The keeper was signed on an emergency loan from Swindon Town on April 23, 1999, after injuries decimated Carlisle's goalkeeping corps. Glass made his debut the next day in a 3-3 draw against Darlington.
Entering May 8, the final day of the season, Carlisle sat in last place in the Third Division (now League Two). The Cumbrians needed a win at home against Plymouth Argyle and a Scarborough FC draw or loss to avoid relegation from The Football League. The club was a Football League member since 1928, over 70 straight seasons.
"The atmosphere around the club and in and around the town was despondent," Glass said years later. "You could understand the immense occasion that was about to happen and the pressure that was on everyone."
Derek Lacey, the soccer commentator for BBC Cumbria, was so nervous the night before the match he drank a cup of tea while parked at a local gas station at four in the morning.
Jimmy Glass started in goal that afternoon for Carlisle, just his third match with the team, but nonetheless the biggest of his career.
Carlisle started brightly, but Plymouth pulled ahead after 49 minutes on a Lee Phillips goal. Tensions grew at Brunton Park, as non-league status loomed. Hope returned for the home side though, as David Brightwell found an equalizer 13 minutes later.
The final half hour was a frantic one, as Carlisle knew it needed a goal to keep its Football League dreams alive.
Word came in that Scarborough drew 1-1, and the match entered the four announced minutes of stoppage time, still tied.
What happened next was the stuff of dreams.
Carlisle earned a corner late into the fourth minute of injury time, and it would likely be the last kick of the game. Manager Nigel Pearson waved Jimmy Glass in his red keeper jersey forward.
"And up goes Jimmy Glass, Carlisle United's goalkeeper," Lacey declared.
"Go on Jimmy," implored his partner in the booth.
The result? Well, just watch for yourself:
#OnThisDay in 1999, on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored to keep Carlisle in the Football League. Breathless stuff. The local radio commentary was, as you can imagine, fucking brilliant.pic.twitter.com/NfoL5sD7tX
— MUNDIAL (H) (@MundialMag) May 8, 2020
Sheer pandemonium.
Fans stormed the pitch. Bodies piled everywhere. Pure, unadulterated joy.
"When he scored every emotion came out," assistant manager John Halpin said. "The whole season exploded in that few seconds. I was running around like a maniac."
What seemed like certain relegation turned into hysterical celebrations, as a 48-game season came down to a single kick of the ball.
"It fell straight to me and the rest is history," Glass recalled.
Today you can find Glass, who worked as a taxi driver post-retirement, acting as a player liason officer for Premier League club Bournemouth. His Puma cleats from that historic day are on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester.
And his memory? Well that will live on in the heads of Carlisle United fans forever.
