FIVE years ago, he was scrapping to stay in the Conference with Newport.
Now Karl Darlow is fighting to win promotion to the Premier League with Newcastle.
But for the Toon keeper, that experience of a non-league relegation battle is the reason he can cope with the pressure of crunch Championship clashes – like tonight’s at Huddersfield.
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Darlow was a 21-year-old rookie without a first-team start under his belt when he was loaned to Newport from Nottingham Forest in March 2012.
The Welsh minnows were just one place outside the drop zone and in serious danger of dropping into the Conference South.
But Darlow, who made his debut in a 1-0 home win against Gateshead in front of just 1,261 fans, kept four clean sheets in eight matches.
And Newport lost just twice with him in goal as they went on to achieve safety by six points.
Darlow, 26, recalled: “Newport were struggling and it was real pressure.
“It was the first time I felt, ‘This is men’s football – this is what it is all about’.
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“To go there was a real experience to see how they worked and how much every game meant for them.
“It was their livelihoods if they got relegated from the Conference. They would have gone part-time again and then it’s a real struggle.
“So I felt real responsibility going there.
“And I did well. We managed to stay out of relegation and the year after they got promoted back into the Football League.”
Darlow, who was released by Aston Villa aged 16, would go on to establish himself as Forest’s No1.
And he has finally done the same at Newcastle this term – but it has been a long slog.
Darlow joined the Toon in a £7million double deal with current skipper Jamaal Lascelles in August 2014, before being loaned back to the City Ground for a season.
He started last campaign as Newcastle’s third-choice stopper – and had a horror Premier League debut at West Brom, when he was at fault for Darren Fletcher’s late headed winner.
But Darlow got another chance last April when Rob Elliot joined Tim Krul on the long-term treatment table.
And he impressed in Newcastle’s final eight games of last term, despite Rafa Benitez’s side ultimately going down.
Darlow admitted: “I always believe in my ability and what I can do.
“The back-end of last season I got another chance and went on a decent run.
“That proved to the fans I was capable and it’s always nice to feel wanted by a club.”
Still, Darlow had it all to prove again this season as he did not start Newcastle’s Championship campaign as No1.
Summer signing Matz Sels was Benitez’s preferred keeper until he was dropped in September.
But there has been no doubt about Darlow’s position since, even with Elliot now back from his knee injury.
Speaking after training yesterday, the Northampton-born stopper said: “I was disappointed at the start of the season not to start.
“I just wanted to prove that I could be No1 at this club. It was a mental thing for me to keep pushing and working hard.
“I knew if I could keep training well there was always a chance I would get in.
“Since then it’s been a case of, ‘We’ve got good keepers and I need to prove I’m better than them’.
“It’s only going to be good for me to be feeling the pressure of other good keepers behind me.
“It’s been good to see that I’ve helped the club move to the top of the league – we need to stay there now.”
Tuesday night’s thrilling comeback win over title challengers Brighton went a long way towards that goal, with Darlow shining after a couple of recent errors.
Another victory tonight over third-placed Huddersfield would extend Newcastle’s cushion in the automatic promotion spots to 11 points with 11 games to go.
And Darlow said: “We know that if we go there and come away with three points, it can really dent their chances.
“That’s the thing for us now, making sure we make that gap as big as possible.
“But we’ve got to be cautious at the same time as being confident. We haven’t done anything yet.
“You see teams come from fourth or fifth and fly through – it only takes a good run.
“But we know if we take care of our own performances we can get up.”
Playing for Newcastle, Darlow is following in the footsteps of his granddad Ken Leek, who scored six goals in 13 games for the club in 1961.
The former striker, who died aged 72 in 2007, won 13 caps for Wales and was an unused member of their 1958 World Cup squad.
Darlow admitted: “He was a big influence for me when I was younger.
“Obviously his experiences are unbelievable and it was nice to come to a club he played for.”
Darlow qualifies for Wales through his grandfather and was contacted by them at the start of this season.
But he is putting off any decision on his international future for now – because he only has one thought on his mind.
Darlow added: “I’m at a point in my career now where I want to get promoted and I want to win the league.
“It’s something I want to look back on and say, ‘Yeah, we did that’.”
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