"I don't think many people get to experience that kind of debut," she says. "It was all really crazy when I sit and think about it now. I don't know how I wasn't more nervous because I think that I should have been, given it was my debut and a derby. I only found out I was starting the day before the match, so I didn't have time to get nervous, I suppose."

As United gear up for their return to St. James' Park on Sunday to face Inter Milan Women as part of the VisitMalta Weekender (kick-off 1pm), Tamminen - one of the quieter members of Tanya Oxtoby's squad - spoke with fondness about her debut between the sticks in last November's 3-1 home win over Sunderland and how she's always been labelled "quite normal for a goalkeeper".

Recalling the seconds before saving Eleanor Dale's penalty on her Magpies bow in front of the Gallowgate End, she explained: "I was calm and confident in the situation itself.

"I wouldn't say I was confident of saving it, but the pressure is always on the attacker - people never say much if a goalkeeper doesn't save a penalty."

Despite missing the start of last season due to a wrist injury sustained prior to joining the club, Tamminen quickly displayed the quality she had as the club's number one, boasting a league-high save rate of 76 per cent.

A shocked expression spreads across the 31-year-old's face when she is asked how she remained so poised after denying Dale. "Honestly, I was not relaxed in that situation, so I'm glad it looked that way because I was so nervous!

"As soon as I dropped the ball, I knew it was a mistake because nobody was ready to play, but all I could think was, 'I don't want this ball'.

"I was just so nervous, even though I had saved the penalty. I'm not sure what I was thinking because their players could have started pressing me, but I know I didn't want to hold onto that ball longer than I needed to."

Tamminen appeared calm in that moment of sheer pandemonium inside St. James', perhaps helped by the same mindset and attitude she's had since she was 15 and playing first team football for Turun Weikot.

Growing up in Turku, Finland's oldest city, Tamminen embraced its quiet nature during her childhood, which saw her become a professional footballer before her 16th birthday.

"I think I have always been the same as I am now. I remember when I was 15 and went to play for the women's first team, and everyone used to say to me that I was mentally 30 years old, so now I'm 31 and would say I'm still the same kind of person. When I was younger, I was always quite calm and collected and mature for my age, you might say.

"A lot of people have told me that I'm quite a normal person for being a goalkeeper, but I'm not sure how I come across like that. I think I can separate the version of me off the pitch from when I cross the white line - I can change quite quickly and focus on the task at hand."

The modest, success-driven shot-stopper sees herself as more of a stereotypical Finnish person; she is quiet and likes her own company, while not being overly enamoured by physical touch and social outings. However, that is a stereotype that someone very close to her has rubbished since also moving to the North East.

Before or after training you can often find Tamminen talking in more of a hushed tone, chatting away in Finnish to Oona Sevenius, and on the surface, it would be plausible to believe they couldn't possibly come from the same quiet and calm Finnish culture.

"Often people ask Oona and me about Finland and Finnish, and I always tell them she is not Finnish and I am more of what people think of when they think of a Finnish person," said Tamminen.

"I'm not really into small talk, and I like my own space, and that's just not like Oona. I would say it is a cultural thing for people in Finland to be a bit quieter and enjoy our own time, but maybe I am a bit more to the extreme and enjoy it a bit more than most people.

"Back home, I would say that physical contact isn't a thing when we see or greet people whereas here, everyone gives out high-fives in the morning and I’m always sat there thinking, 'I don't really like all of this touching'. For example, when Kayla (Rendell) joined the club, I went to say hello to her and was going in for a first bump, but then she went in and hugged me.

"So, I was just standing there thinking, 'I don't know this person and we are hugging already?' Of course, now I would hug her because I know her a lot better, but the first time meeting her I was thinking, 'what do I do in this situation?'"

With Sunday's game against the Italian giants marking nine months exactly since her unforgettable debut for United at St. James', Tamminen has just one simple request.

"I hope I remember more of the game than the last time I played there, because I honestly don't remember much. I remember conceding a goal, the full time whistle and then doing an interview where I was just annoyed because I didn't get a clean sheet.

"So hopefully, I remember the whole game this time because it's such a great ground to play at and amazing we get to do it more often this season."

Supporters can still buy tickets and cheer on the Lasses for the first time at St. James' Park this season against Inter Milan in the Visit Malta Weekender.