Socceroos goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne was at home in Sydney one April afternoon, wrangling his one-year-old daughter Poppy after daycare.
His mobile rang. It was the Australian national team goalkeeping coach, John Crawley.
The pair's conversation was entirely routine, until the end.
"Alright mate, I'll see you soon," Redmayne said, ready to pull the phone away from his ear.
Crawley replied: "Get ready to save a penalty to send us to the World Cup.
"Catch you later," the coach added, before ending the call.
The Socceroos had not secured direct qualification for this year's showpiece tournament and needed to win two sudden-death play-offs in June.
In both matches, if scores were tied after 120 minutes of regular play and extra time, a penalty shootout would decide which team advanced.
"At that moment I thought it was somewhat of a throwaway line; not so much a full-blooded plan that actually had been discussed by the coaching staff," Redmayne recalled last week.
Crawley, 50, a former professional keeper who holds a psychology degree, repeated the comment in their next phone chat, and in subsequent calls.
When the squad assembled in Kuwait before the first knockout match against the United Arab Emirates, the closely guarded plan was laid out in full before Redmayne, who is the team's reserve goalie.
"Penalty shootouts are a particular battle, and we've got a particular weapon in yourself who's well-versed in it in recent history, and that's the plan, if it were to eventuate," Crawley told his player.
In the second sudden-death match, against Peru, a shootout did eventuate. Redmayne replaced starting goalkeeper, captain Mat Ryan, in the 120th minute of play.
His pre-shot flailing, jumping and dancing along the goal line earned him the nickname 'the Grey Wiggle'.
Redmayne's diving save, on the sixth penalty, earned him legend status and secured Australia a fifth-straight World Cup berth.
"I was more happy for the game of football in Australia than I was for anything else," Redmayne said.
"It's not just my job but all my mates' and colleagues'... it's their jobs as well that will benefit from this."
'I was done with football'
Redmayne grew up around Gosford in New South Wales, and as a teenager trialled with English Premier League giants Arsenal.
The London club almost signed him before eventually opting for another youngster.
Redmayne instead joined hometown A-League club the Central Coast Mariners.
He toiled as a reserve goalie with the Mariners and Brisbane Roar over four seasons, before claiming a starting spot with Melbourne City.
But his career trajectory dramatically changed course in 2016 while playing for the Western Sydney Wanderers.
"It was all eyes on them," Redmayne said.
"I just don't think I dealt with the pressure or the attention of playing with as many eyes on the club."
Some Wanderers' supporters and pundits turned against the shot stopper, who became infected with self-doubt.
"It's tough when you know there is so much criticism and doubt about yourself," Redmayne said.
"It just grinded away at me and... it was just a bit too much for me."
Redmayne was dumped back to the bench and planned to leave the national competition.
Recalling that dark period, when he "completely" fell out of love with the sport, remains painful for the Socceroo.
"I was done with football, that was it," he told 7.30 last week, before wiping away a few tears.
With wife Caitlin Redmayne's support, the pair formulated a plan for life after football, including him focusing on his university studies and becoming a primary school teacher.
"We were certain it was all going to fall into place, up until the move happened," Caitlin Redmayne said.
'I needed an arm around me'
But A-League rivals Sydney FC needed a backup goalie and signed Redmayne to an 18-month deal.
"The Sydney FC change room was, and still is, one of the best change rooms I've ever been a part of, it's so comforting and nurturing," Redmayne said.
"I needed an arm around me."
There he reunited with goalkeeping coach John Crawley, now with the Socceroos, who Redmayne had known since playing junior representative football in the early 2000s.
"It's something that I probably can't express enough how much he means to me, not only as a player but as a person as well," Redmayne said.
Crawley replenished the goalkeeper's confidence and skill set, especially in relation to penalty kicks.
"I was terrible at saving penalties prior to linking up with John Crawley at Sydney FC.
"One of the things that John does so well is he just throws out the textbook.
"We thought we'd try something that would distract penalty takers or get in their head or change their rhythm."
Enter: the 'Wiggles' goal line antics.
"Coming up with that whole thing was all John Crawley... I'm just kind of the puppet in it all," Redmayne said.
"I'm happy to be the butt of jokes or anything, if it means winning a shootout... I would happily make a fool of myself."
Crawley and teammates also helped Redmayne develop his self-assuredness.
"They had this line... 'you do you', and that just really resonated with me," Redmayne said.
"I have a particular way of doing things.
"I dress how I dress: most of the time, I wear pretty bright socks and pretty bright underwear.
"[Now] I just feel comfortable being me and I'm just happy being me."
Within weeks of joining Sydney FC, first-choice keeper Danny Vukovic was away on national team duty, leaving Redmayne to deputise in a clash against Perth Glory in March 2017.
Perth produced limited attacking forays in their 3-nil defeat, but the match re-energised Redmayne.
"Keeping a clean sheet and making a couple of saves, I just thought, 'Yeah, you know what, I can probably still do this, and I've still got a bit of worth.'"
"In that game, I rediscovered my passion for football.
"I just fell back in love with the game."
'Childhood dream come true'
Caitlin Redmayne has had the best seat in the house for the highs and lows.
She saw "the fire was in the belly very quickly" after that match, which has remained ever since.
"He has this confidence about him that I had never seen before," she said.
"I'm just so proud of him because he has grown entirely into a different person.
"And I think that comes down to how hard [Andrew has] worked... both mentally and physically."
Since 2019, Redmayne helped Sydney FC win an A-League title and was twice named the competition's goalkeeper of the year.
He reached the national team and capped it off by helping Australia qualify for the World Cup.
"I'm just sitting here bursting with pride," wife Caitlin said. "From where we've come, to where we are... it's really special."
Today, Crawley and Redmayne work together as Socceroos super sub and goalkeeping coach.
"John, for me, is by far the best coach that I've worked with in a goalkeeping sense, and not only that, he's just a phenomenal person," Redmayne said
"I owe a lot to John, but I've owed a lot to John for a long time, even prior to this last few months."
For the millions of Australians introduced to the pair's 'Grey Wiggle' routine last month, the antics might have appeared unthinking, but Redmayne said the opposite was true.
"I know which way I'm going to dive.
"I know how I'm going to get there and what I'm going to do."
Now, there's just one more achievement to tick off the list: being part of Australia's 2022 World Cup team in Qatar.
"It's a childhood dream and a dream come true, if I were to be selected," Redmayne said.
"I'm under no illusions that I'm already on the plane or anything like that.
"I have to continue to work hard and play well, and touch wood I stay injury free.
"To be at a FIFA World Cup would just surpass everything in my career."
