Maidstone FA Cup hero Lucas Covelin scored once and saved two penalties in the play-off final but found himself in the depths of depression just months later.
The Brazilian goalkeeper, pushed into attack with his Torquay side trailing 1-0 to Hartlepool in the 2021 National League final, heading in an extra-time equalizer to take the match into extra time.
"The feeling of scoring a goal is completely different from just saving it," he recalled.
"Such a big moment in my career. I don't know if it gave me mental problems, but I will remember that day forever.
“It was a corner, they cleared it, it went for a throw-in, I thought they were going to put it back in the box, so I stood up.
"It was a great header at the end. I remember watching the ball going into the net in slow motion. I didn't know how to celebrate."
Covelin then placed two spot-kicks in the shoot-out, but unfortunately, his teammates missed out on three more Torquay promotions.
An unfortunate spell took place in Port Vale where Cowlin faced his own mental health issues.
So when the goalkeeper went down on his knees after his extraordinary display in National League South side Maidstone's stunning 2-1 fourth-round win at Ipswich, there was an outpouring of emotion.
"It was a thousand moments in the last two years," he added. "When I went into the league with Port Vale, I didn't have the right mindset.
"It was a thousand moments in the last two years," he added. "When I went into the league with Port Vale, I didn't have the right mindset.
"Struggled with my mental health, depressed. I was thinking about the people who helped me through this.
"When I fell to my knees and just cried, it was remembering all the moments below. It was a reward for me, a very special moment.
Colvin, missing his family back in Brazil, became a withdrawn figure until he sought help from the PFA and received treatment.
"It's been a long time, I just wish I'd come out earlier and not wait so long," he said.
"I want to talk about it now, try to encourage people to come forward."
Covolan and his Maidstone teammates made history by becoming the first team from outside the top five divisions to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup since Blyth Spartans in 1978.
They travel to the other side of the Championship, Coventry, bidding for a credible place in the quarter-finals on Monday night.
Covelin's heroics have not gone unnoticed by the Premier League's Brazilian goalkeeping fraternity, Manchester City's Ederson, and Liverpool's Alisson Baker.
He said that when I go to the north, he will invite me for a barbecue.
"I don't know who's going to cook, maybe Alison because he's from the South. I think his barbecue will be better.
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