YOU'RE never too old to stop learning and veteran Hull City keeper Steve Harper proved just that in the 2-2 draw at Fulham.
At the age of 38, you might expect someone like Harper to think he knows the game inside out, but he proved he still takes his mistakes on board and learns from them.
In the 3-0 home defeat by Arsenal a week earlier, he'd been caught out by the pace of a back-pass which almost allowed Olivier Giroud to score. Although the Gunners forward ended up hitting the bar, it was a wake-up call for the usually laid-back Harper.
At Craven Cottage, the Tigers keeper seemed to have a far more focused edge to his game. Everything he did was a little bit quicker and sharper.
Although there was not much he could do about Fulham's opener from Ashkan Dejagah, a superb strike into the top corner which left him rooted to the spot, he still went on to play a key role.
With City trailing after another Fulham goal from Fernando Amorebieta, the shot-stopper provided the key turning point in the game. Making himself big, he flung himself across goal to deny Dejagah what looked to be a certain goal by spreading himself and getting a great contact on the shot. It was one of those moments where the keeper hopes to get any part of his body to it and fortunately for City it paid off.
It would have been a long way back for City if they had let a third goal in and his team-mates will know exactly how big that save was for their confidence as well as the result.
With the FA Cup final coming up at the end of the season, and Allan McGregor back doing some running to try to get fit for it, the onus is on Harper to keep his shirt. The only way he can try to do that is by playing well every week to take a massive decision away from Steve Bruce.
The City boss has never hid the fact McGregor is his number one, but would he put him back in for the final if he has only just recovered from three broken ribs?
Harper certainly won't want to find out because he'll be desperate to play at Wembley and you can bet he will now be doing all he can to earn that right.
