In 2014 Nick Pope was plying his trade on loan at York City in League Two. He was twenty-two years of age and Charlton Athletic’s fourth choice goalkeeper. Fast forward to the present day and he is the second best performing stopper in the Premier League behind David De Gea and a realistic shout to accompany the England squad to this summer’s World Cup. It’s not quite Rocky with goalie gloves but in the modern era when routes to the top are so cluttered by off-the-peg superstars, it's damn close. British players don’t get to climb the football pyramid anymore. They don’t go from Welling to Wembley.
The Addicks, it should be stated, were fully aware of his attributes but were well stocked with experience in nets, which is why they were content to allow Pope to study marketing for two years before undertaking a degree in sports science and once his academic pursuits were concluded they sent him on loan, first to Harrow Borough, then to Welling United, then Cambridge. All told there were eight different loan spells with each game adding another layer to his skin as rival fans barracked him from close quarters. Each character was character-building.
After York twenty-two appearances for Bury in his final secondment helped see the Shakers promoted from the bottom tier and his performances there prompted Burnley to come knocking. Now Pope had a big career-defining decision to make. Stay with Charlton and surely feature or move to the Premier League bound Clarets and hope beyond hope to make the bench. Even that would be an achievement given that his rival for a sub spot would be Paul Robinson, a player who boasted four hundred plus top flight games and 41 England caps.
A tour of the facilities and a chat with Burnley’s goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer and Pope’s mind was set. He was to take an enormous step forward but in many ways, a significant step back.
For a full year there was training and reserve games in front of a scattering of people and all the time he bided his time, learning and growing. Then in a home game against Crystal Palace on September 10th Tom Heaton fell awkwardly following a collision with his own team-mate and endured a dislocated shoulder on impact. For Heaton this was truly rotten luck; he had been exceptional throughout the previous campaign and with Joe Hart’s star fading fast this season represented a real chance to secure the status of England’s number one. For Pope however his colleague’s misfortune represented an opening, a chance to show what he could do at the highest level. It was a chance seven long years in the making.
Nobody really commented on Pope’s calm showing against the Eagles, despite being unexpectedly thrust into first team action with no notice. Understandably it was Heaton’s injury that got the paragraphs in the match reports along with another fine result for flying Burnley and another Jenga block removed from Frank De Boer’s future. For the next game though, well that was different; that was Liverpool away at Anfield.
Not many keepers get to make their first full Premier League outing in front of the Kop and even less of them emerge unbeaten. When later asked about the nerves that must have been abundant prior to kick-off the relaxed demeanour of Pope shone through answering the query with a question of his own – “If you can’t enjoy it there, where can you?”
It is this level-headed and laid-back attitude that has gone a long way to establishing Pope as an instant, ready-made Premier League star, looking like he’s been a part of the fixture and furnishings in the top flight for years. It has also played a big part in settling down a back-line that has the fourth best defensive record this season. Quality is a facet here; of course it is, as too well-drilled organisation sourced from the training ground, but they also a need to implicitly trust the man standing guard behind them.
The Clarets under Sean Dyche are confounding all expectations this term as too is Pope, frustrating the world’s elite on a weekly basis with shot-stopping skills out of the top drawer and showing intelligence in his punching to alleviate pressure. It was revealed this week that no other keeper has saved more shots on target other than De Gea. The third place is frankly a mile off.
This suggests should this fine form and establishment of his merits continue, that an England squad spot is attainable, especially in light of the woeful decline of Forster and Hart and diminishing returns from Jordan Pickford. Russia beckons and right now all three places are up for grabs.
It should be Heaton in the frame, unquestionably so, and that is cruel. But nobody can deny that Nick Pope has earned his consideration, earned his stripes.
Should Gareth Southgate give him the nod for this summer maybe then, as the plane takes off, we can start playing that Rocky theme tune.
