As a club, Notts have always had a steady supply of superb goalkeepers. But it has been a while since we have developed our own goalkeeping talent. In fact, Brooks’ debut was the first time since Fabian Spiess’ rise to prominence in 2011 that a Notts academy product has guarded the Magpies’ net.
Like Brooks, much was expected of Spiess and big names were alerted to his early promise with Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham touted as long-term admirers by then Head of Youth Mick Leonard.
Sadly, Spiess’ potential was never fully realised so it’s understandable to see the desire from Notts fans to see Brooks make the progressive but precarious steps into Notts’ first team.
But what is already apparent is the carefully planned series of loans designed to expose Brooks to a range of footballing experiences and contexts that were sadly missing from Spiess’ time at Meadow Lane. Brooks has already surpassed the appearance totals achieved in Spiess’ early spells with Lewes, Corby, Bristol Rovers and Torquay.
Developing a promising goalkeeper into a definable talent is never easy. Eyebrows were raised recently with Burnley rumoured to be paying nearly £19 million pounds for Manchester City academy graduate James Trafford and it will be fascinating to see how quickly England's U21 Euro penalty-save hero makes the transition into the Premier League following loan spells with Accrington and Bolton.
The complexity of identifying and developing outstanding characteristics in a goalkeeper was exemplified perfectly by the recent infographic published by the FA for the DNA characteristics of a top class goalkeeper, with psychological, tactical, social, technical and physical aspects needing development to succeed.
It is these qualities, many being beyond the simplistic metrics used to measure goalkeepers and their performances on social media, that Notts will be hoping Brooks develops during his Cork City loan.
Psychologically, for example, Brooks found himself joining a proud club languishing at the bottom end of the Irish Premier Division and made his debut against second-place St Pat's Athletic within 24 hours of confirmation of his loan.
Despite suffering injury, Brooks performed well under this pressure. He controlled his box, demonstrating efficient and effective movement both in and out of possession, and pulled off a great save in the 25th minute to keep the score at 0:0. Although he was eventually beaten by a long-range drive, Brooks maintained personal control and communication with those around him - key elements in understanding how quickly a goalkeeper recovers from a setback.
With twelve league games to go for Cork City, Brooks is likely to return to Meadow Lane in November and hopefully richer for the experience. Whether he is in a position to push for a first team place from this moment on remains to be seen, or if another progressive loan is the next logical step.
But one thing is for sure, that Notts are determined to create a pathway that helps build Brooks better.