Goalkeepers have a reputation for being a little barmy, and when you talk to Millwall's Rhys Evans, it is easy to see why. The position is unusually fraught in that every little mistake has a high chance of leading to a match-defining incident and ridicule.
Add to that the pressure of looming relegation and being out of work, and it's no wonder Evans is losing sleep. Millwall's undeserved 2-0 home defeat by Leeds on Saturday keeps the south London club in contention for the drop into League Two.
They are four points above the dotted line with two games left, and Saturday's visit of second-placed Carlisle looks crucial. Evans is a former England under-21 regular who started his career with Chelsea.
However, life in the lower divisions is a different prospect, and he finds himself considering how he will provide for his young family at the end of the season. "I don't want people thinking I'm trying to pull a sob story, but I have found it difficult lately," said Evans, who was not at fault for either of Leeds' goals.
"I'm only under contract here until the end of the season. I'd like to stay, but it's difficult in a position like mine when any mistake is punished.
"I don't think I've made too many, but I really don't want to make any in the last two games because they could be costly. I'm going to bed late and waking up early at the moment. It's not easy to sleep."
The three points Millwall's football merited on Saturday would have gone a long way to easing Evans' anxiety and being left to wonder how they finished empty handed was a familiarly frustrating experience.
"I can't stand going home and telling people again that we've played well and lost. People think you're talking out of your a**e," Evans said. "We're under a lot of pressure and people are going to make mistakes. And when you are playing against a quality team like Leeds, they are going to punish you. "We need a couple of goals from somewhere. We are playing good football and knocking it around nice, but we just can't score.
"We're desperately lacking a killer instinct and ruthlessness in front of goal."
Saturday's win at the Den put Leeds within touching distance of securing a play-off place but the outcome of their appeal against a 15-point deduction for breaching League insolvency rules – due to be delivered by May 1 – could vastly alter the League One picture. Evans, like most observers, is dubious about where it will all lead.
"I don't know how it would affect us – you wonder if teams like Luton and Bournemouth would then be able to appeal against their penalties," said the 26-year-old. . "That makes it a little bit of a worry for us in our position. You can't blame Leeds for trying but it amazes me how people who had a hand in what went wrong at Leeds are still allowed to work in football. If it happened in another industry, they wouldn't be able to go back to doing anything similar.
"I just hope they get it all sorted before next season starts. Just look at the Carlos Tevez case. That's still going on. When football gets involved in legal matters it does get very mucky."
