Lachie James, 19, has replaced the long-serving Campbell Taylor between the posts this season and grasped the opportunity with both gloves.

James, who joined City as an eight-year-old, produced a match-winning performance against Wangaratta back in March and hasn't looked back since.

"It's been a childhood dream to come into the first team and stay there," James said.

"When I was young, I couldn't kick the ball too far so they stuck me in goal and I've never come out!

"It's not everyone's cup of tea to stand there and have a ball flogged at you but it's a really good position to play with lots of rewards.

"There is always pressure to perform as a goalkeeper no matter what age group you play.

"You can make a million saves but the only thing people will remember is the one you missed so you need to be mentally resilient."

James has already proved himself to be just that, with City coach Ricky Piltz full of praise for his 'unsung hero' of the season.

"With every game that goes past, he's starting to rule the backline and he's definitely been the reason we've won a couple of games," Piltz said.

"Nobody talks about the 15 shots that Patty Brown misses, only the two goals he scores to win the game but when you're down the other end and you have a brain fart for 10 seconds and a goal goes in, that could be the talking-point of the day.

"But I've never been a coach to put any pressure on the goalkeeper. They're a species of their own and there's not enough up-and-coming junior keepers in Albury-Wodonga that are willing to take these blokes' spots.

"They've got to be a treasured commodity.

"Honestly, I don't even know if there's 11 senior grade keepers in the league so to get our hands on one of the top ones is fantastic."

James hailed Murray United's coaching as a key factor in his development, returning to play in AWFA and starting a TAFE course since the dissolution of the club's senior program.

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"I was optimistic that opportunities would come in Melbourne but unfortunately the senior team wasn't able to produce enough players," he said.

"It does put into perspective where your career's going. A few of us have had to come back to local soccer and find other things to do.

"But the culture at Albury City is unlike anywhere else, it's one big family.

"We're all extremely tight and we enjoy each other's company so it was a no-brainer to come back to an environment like that."

"Everyone loves him," Piltz said. "He's a character and one of the best volunteers we've got. Not only is he a future leader but he's also the future of the club."

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