TEENAGE Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi says he will not forget his debut in senior football.

The 18-year-old lost three central defenders within 45 minutes of pulling on the Hereford United goalkeeper's jersey for the first time.

Dean Beckwith, Karl Broadhurst and Josh Gowling were all injured in Hereford's 3-2 win at Cheltenham Town.

"It was a bit of a shock,” said Gulacsi. “We lost three centre-halves in the first half and it was a very physical game. That was the toughest game I have experienced for Hereford."

The teenager said he was apprehensive going into February's match at Whaddon Road.

"I was not nervous about my own qualities because I felt ready to play. But it was my first match in senior football and it was a great thing to be a part of.

"You can train and train - and that's great, but the most enjoyable part of football is playing."

Gulacsi has arrived at Edgar Street rich in pedigree and is contracted at Premiership giants Liverpool until the summer of 2010.

Gulacsi, who turns 19 next month, is the third-choice goalkeeper at Anfield behind Pepe Reina and Diego Cavalieri.

The stopper was part of the Hungary side which finished third at the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in the Czech Republic.

He later sat on the bench for the Hungarian national team for a friendly against Croatia.

He represented Hungary at under-17 level and was spotted by Liverpool while playing for the under-17 team in France.

"I was invited to Liverpool for a 10-day trial in the summer of 2007 and, after that, they offered me a one-year loan deal," Gulacsi recalled.

"For the first six months after moving from MTK Hungaria to Liverpool I felt homesick. I missed my parents and my girlfriend. But once I started playing, everything went well and I settled down.”

"It's difficult to break into the first team at Liverpool but I can learn a lot because they have great goalkeepers."

The Hungarian, whose contract at Anfield was later made permanent, was offered the chance to play for Hereford after making an appearance against Manchester United Reserves.

"We had just played and the goalkeeping coach asked me how I felt about my game,” he said. “The next question he asked me was whether I thought I could play at a higher level. After training, I was called into a room and given this chance.”

"Not many goalkeepers at my age play in League 1, so I was very happy to accept the offer. I didn't know much about League 1 or Hereford United. I read all about Hereford on the internet and looked at the player profiles and pictures to see who my team-mates were.”

Gulacsi is on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season.

"I played every game for the reserves before I came to Hereford. All of the games for Hereford have been a great experience. I now know all about the teams and the players in League 1.”

Gulacsi made an impact in his Hereford home debut - saving Lee Trundle's first-half penalty in the Bulls' 2-0 win over Leeds United.

His impressive performances for Hereford are being closely monitored by Liverpool.

"The first-team goalkeeping coach has been to see me play twice and the reserve team goalkeeping coach has also seen me twice."

"We always watch back the games and analyse them. The first-team goalkeeping coach rings me to give me information about opposition players and strikers."

The goalkeeper’s long-term ambition is to break into the Hungarian national team and Liverpool's first team.

But he said: "I am hoping I can continue to play well at Hereford and continue to improve. My focus is on doing well for Hereford. I haven't even looked as far ahead as this summer."