Ross Turnbull turns on the heat at Middlesbrough

Over the past few years many English fans were possibly scratching their head as to whom could reliably fill the void of the number one jersey. With poor form from both Paul Robinson and Scott Carson, many may have questioned the future of goalkeeping for the national squad.

Though in recent years, apart from both of the aforementioned goalkeepers, the likes of Joe Hart of Manchester City and Ben Foster for Manchester United have sprung onto the Premiership stage with gusto. Another great prospect for the English number one spot could well be Ross Turnbull of Middlesbrough.

Over the past few weeks, Turnbull has proven that age is but a number, with some show stopping performances, most recently against West Ham. Gareth Southgate had nothing but praise for the 23 year old:

“Conceding five goals against Chelsea last month could have affected him but he has been outstanding during the last week. It gives all of us confidence knowing he is our last line of defence.”

In that statement lies the maturity that is seeing young Turnbull excel at the top flight of English competition. Attitude is everything when it comes to goalkeeping, and where many goalkeepers would fold after a poor performance, Turnbull seems to thrive.

Another key point made by Southgate is trust. Having your back line feel confident in your goalkeeping ability, strengthens not only your own self confidence, but also helps to bolster your back line. Turnbull’s recent string of performances are providing a much needed firewall in Boro’s back line.

Turnbull has plyed his trade with Middlesbrough since his youth, signing a professional contract in 2002 and representing England in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. At a club level, Mark Schwarzer’s departure after 11 years at the club, could have meant another more experienced goalkeeper filling the goalkeeping void, though Gareth Southgate made a wise decision to let both Turnbull and young Aussie Brad Jones fight it out for the number one spot.

With Fabio Capello at the helm for England, it seems that there is a wealth of goalkeeping talent to choose from for future England internationals. If Turnbull’s string of great performances continue, then possibly Capello’s call up may loom a possibility for a young goalkeeper whom is only getting better with each game at Middlesbrough.

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