Long-serving Hatters keeper bursting with pride after making his Premier League debut for Luton
Shea replaces Kaminsky for the final 15 minutes at Kenilworth Road
Long-serving Luton goalkeeper James Shea was bursting with pride after making his Premier League debut during the Hatters’ final day 4-2 defeat at home to Fulham yesterday.
The 32-year-old moved to Kenilworth Road on a free transfer back in the summer of 2017, originally signing as back-up goalkeeper for Marek Stech in League Two. Since then, he had made 107 appearances for the club, broken down into 41 in League One, where he won the Golden Gloves award for most clean sheets in 2019, 40 in the Championship, eight in both League Two and the League Cup, with five in the Checkatrade Trophy and FA Cup, his last outing a 0-0 draw with Hull on May 2023.
Shea had also suffered a horrendous knee injury at Cardiff City back in April 2022, which kept him out for a lengthy period of time, only playing one more match after that, the stalemate against the Tigers, while his story mirrors a number of players at the Hatters, having to fight to even make it as a professional footballer earlier in his career.
Before joining Luton, Shea had been with Arsenal as a youngster, winning the Premier Academy League and FA Youth Cup, also on the bench for a Champions League clash back in September 2012, but then on leaving the Gunners and unable to find a club in the Football League, turned out for Isthmian League sides Needham Market in Division One North and Harrow Borough in the Premier Division.
He joined AFC Wimbledon in 2014, before heading to Town under then manager Nathan Jones, as his 108th outing as a Hatter came with 15 minutes to go in the top flight against the Cottagers yesterday, as he can now call himself a fully fledged Premier League player. Speaking about his moment in the spotlight, a clearly thrilled Shea said: “It’s unbelievable. I know it’s only 15 minutes but it’s 15 minutes that no-one can every take away from me. If you’d have said when I was at Needham Market, Harrow Borough, that one day I would have got an appearance in the Prem, I would have snapped your hand off for it, so I’m over the moon.
“When I did my knee walking off at Cardiff that day I could never have envisioned being here, being at the club, where the club is. It just shows you how special the club is. I know it hasn’t finished the way we wanted at the minute, but I’m sure the club will bounce back next year and be right up there again.”
Shea, who has been a regular on the bench in the second half of the campaign due to a crippling injury crisis, earned a superb ovation from the Kenilworth Road when he came on, and soon had the home supporters out of their seats again with a tremendous save from Tom Cairney’s dipping attempt from range, able to flick it over the bar to one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon.
He was then off his line well to prevent another cross reaching its intended target, hacking the loose ball away too, as discussing his cameo, he continued: “I loved it (response from the supporters), it was brilliant, one of the best moments of my whole career. I can’t explain it, but it was absolutely fantastic, I loved it. I’m not going to lie, I wanted to go on and pass a few out, make it nice and easy, but I had to do some work, which is a first.”
Asked to sum up his seven years with the club to date and feelings for the future, Shea, who has been third choice keeper this season, behind Kaminski and Tim Krul, added: “I haven’t thought that far ahead, it was just get today out of the way, spend some time with the family, go on holiday and just have a nice time. I’ve loved it from the first day I walked in. I remember the first day when I walked down the side of the cages with Kev Dearden (head of goalkeeping), I signed here as a number two in League Two, so it’s been a great ride, hopefully it can continue a bit more.”