FA Cup Semifinal: Hollywood Ending for Liverpool Goalkeeper Brad Jones?

Brad Jones had been out of football for a very good reason. He had to do something nobody ever wants to do. He had to bury his child. Leukemia claimed the life of his son Luca. 

Jones had been with the Australian national team in South Africa preparing for the World Cup when he got the call informing him that Luca had cancer.

His decision to join Liverpool came easy from a footballing point of view. His mother is from Liverpool and he supported the Reds as a boy. But Luca was still on his mind.

Prior to Tuesday night's match against Blackburn, Jones had not played since December 2010. It was only his third appearance in 20 months since coming to Liverpool from Middlesbrough, where he had been loaned out seven times.

On paper, it looks like Jones has had a tough career. But just being able to have career is a privilege that Jones expressed in an interview shortly before Luca died this past November. 

Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, two days after Luca passed away. The Liverpool players wore black armbands in his memory. Glen Johnson scored the game winner and dedicated it to Luca. 

"I want to dedicate my goal and the win to Brad and all his family! My love is with all of you!!!" Johnson tweeted.

Charlie Adam and Lucas Leiva also expressed their condolences to their teammate.

“I’d like to dedicate [the win] to Brad Jones whose had a difficult week losing his son, so this is for you big man," Adam said in a TV interview. "We are thinking of you."

Leiva turned to Twitter. "What a great win today. This victory was for @Brad_Jones1 and Luca. RIP LUCA"

In one of the strangest matches of the season against Blackburn on Tuesday, Doni, replacing a suspended Pepe Reina, was sent off for denying Aiyegbeni Yakubu a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

On came Jones, and his first job was to stop a penalty from Yakubu, who hadn't missed a spot kick all season.

Jones saved the poor attempt and when he stood up with the ball in his grasp, he pointed to the sky. 

It looked like destiny. All Jones had to do was hang on. Unfortunately that did not happen. What got Doni sent off almost happened to Jones.

Luckily, his challenge against Yakubu was not worthy of a red card in the referee's eyes. He received a yellow and Yakubu scored the resulting penalty to tie the match at 2-2.

Andy Carroll's header in stoppage time secured three points for Liverpool, giving them momentum going into the Everton game.

Just six days earlier, Jones and his partner Dani had a second child, a son, Nico Luca Jones. Playing in such a big match may have been just what Jones needed. He will get to play again.  

With Doni losing his appeal, Jones will be playing in the biggest match of his life. For a man who lost a child, it would be great to win, but in the grand scheme of things may not be all that important.

The FA Cup semifinal will feature the Reds' third goalkeeper with a story that could be straight out of a Disney movie.

It will be an even better story should Liverpool beat their neighbors in the Merseyside Derby at Wembley.