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WEARSIDE WONDERS

Gordon could tell Sunderland kids were destined for greatness... now Henderson and Pickford go for glory on game’s biggest stage

By Graeme Croser

EVERYONE at Tynecastle has been living vicariously through the exploits of Hearts’ Australian contingent at the World Cup. There’s been a surge of pride watching Kye Rowles’ outstanding performances in the Socceroos’ march to the last 16, a journey shared by his club-mates Nathaniel Atkinson and Cammy Devlin.

Yet goalkeeper Craig Gordon also has a vested interest in how England are performing in Qatar.

It’s been 10 years since Gordon left Sunderland but his time on Wearside coincided with the emergence of two Jordans — Pickford and Henderson — who each have key roles under Gareth Southgate.

Gordon was conducting a round of media interviews at the pavilion of the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Glasgow at an event to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Scotland v England, the oldest international fixture.

The durable Scotland No 1 is quick to warm to the theme of cross-border connections, the conversation allowing him to reminisce on the consequences of a transfer that made him the third most expensive goalkeeper in the world.

Sunderland were lucky to have them, they were fantastic young players

The £9million deal that took him from Hearts to Sunderland in 2007 has long since been surpassed, with Pickford’s £25m transfer to Everton notable among a series of inflationbusting rises.

Gordon’s departure from the Stadium of Light in 2012 helped smooth Pickford’s pathway to the first team and accelerate a journey that would see him become England’s first-choice keeper at three consecutive tournaments.

He is certain to start in this evening’s round-of-16 clash against Senegal, while Henderson is also in with a shout after being drafted in for Tuesday’s final group game against Wales and injecting extra authority and drive into a midfield that had laboured in the previous fixture against the USA.

‘You could tell they were fantastic young players,’ says Gordon. ‘Sunderland were lucky to have them breaking through at the same time. I played with Henderson in the first team, while Pickford was just a little bit behind.

‘I used to train with Jordan (Pickford) and you could tell he was going to come through. As a youngster, he was one of the best players of his age.

‘He had real attributes even then. He could kick the ball so far off both feet. He was a big personality, even in the youth team.

‘When he trained with the first team, he knew he belonged there. He always had that self-confidence to know that he was good and to show it. He had it at 17 when he came to train with the first team.’

Older and with more first-team spots open to him, Henderson was a little further down the road to prominence and Gordon admired his strength of character as he broke into a struggling Premier League team as a teenager.

Now 32, Henderson continues to thrive for his country and has been capped 72 times. At Liverpool, he has been crowned a Premier League and European champion.

‘You could tell Henderson was a cut above what we had there,’ says Gordon. ‘You could tell he was going places. He was extremely motivated, the hardest worker at the training ground, someone who always wanted to better himself.

‘He never accepted losing and, remember, we were in a team that was down the bottom of the league. He couldn’t accept that and he was the one who’d drive things forward.

‘He was a teenager at the time and you could tell he was destined to go on to bigger and better things. What an incredible career to have become the captain of Liverpool and lift the trophies that he has. It is testament to how hard he has worked and the improvements he has made to his game throughout his career. He is still driving things on now.

‘I have nothing but admiration for the career Jordan has had and the way he has gone about it. You could tell he was going to do something special in the game and I am glad he has done because he was a nice lad and I got on really well with him when I was there.’ As much as he admires Henderson, Gordon has a more involved interest in Pickford’s career. It may have been impossible for the two to play in the same team but they shared enough trainingground time at the Academy of Light to establish an appreciation of each other’s skillset. By Gordon’s admission, they each approach the position with very different mentalities. While the Scot has always sought to project calm with his body language and demeanour, Pickford is a much more expressive character.

That might manifest itself in a rollicking to a defender or a spat with an opponent but Gordon has enjoyed watching Pickford flourish without ever compromising on his personality.

‘We’re totally different but there’s more than one way to do it,’ he adds. ‘Jordan does shout a lot. Whereas I’m on the opposite side of that. I’m quite calm and don’t do that as much but there’s no right or wrong way.

‘It’s about how you get the job done and he’s gone on to have a fantastic career. He has a lot of caps and is performing at the World Cup. So it’s worked for him.

‘That’s just Jordan. He’s always been a confident boy with a belief in his own ability.

‘That helps as a goalkeeper. You’re not always going to get it your own way. It’s about how you bounce back and Jordan has always been a big character.

‘Those attributes have definitely helped him because he did great things for Sunderland before getting a big move.

‘And who knows, he might have another one? There has been a lot of talk about him moving again.

‘He’s done fantastically well and he’ll continue to do so.

‘I’ve been very impressed by how he’s handled everything in his career. It’s great to see someone I watched when he was so young make that kind of breakthrough at Sunderland before carrying it on to the international team.’

Still only 28, Pickford has amassed a wealth of big-time experience with both Everton and England yet his status as his nation’s No1 has been challenged by the rise of Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope of Newcastle.

Gordon insists Southgate made the right choice in sticking with Pickford. He explains: ‘Jordan’s just a big personality and he can deal with pressure. Playing for an international team at that level brings a lot of pressure and he has more experience than the others.

‘It’s a group of really good goalies. Pope has done well after going to Newcastle from Burnley and they’re flying.

‘He played the last few games and could have done better with one or two goals — that was unfortunate timing for him. But this season he’s been fantastic.

‘Ramsdale is at Arsenal, who are top of the Premier League and he’s doing really well there. He’s a great distributor of the ball and another big character.

‘England do have a good group of keepers and it’s a big decision for

the manager. But having played at major finals before is clearly something in Jordan’s favour.’

Southgate may have been frustrated at the concession of two goals in his side’s otherwise comfortable win over Iran in the first group fixture but England have been solid since, with Pickford keeping clean sheets against the USA and Wales.

‘He’s had a solid start to the World Cup which is what you want as a goalkeeper,’ adds Gordon. ‘England have defended well. It’s a settled three with him, John Stones and Harry Maguire. They work well together, it’s a stable base and Jordan’s a big part of that.’

Gordon will round off 2022 with the milestone of his 40th birthday on Hogmanay but, all being well, he and Pickford will face up to each other for the first time in next September’s commemorative international game at Hampden.

They’ll share a few pleasantries but Gordon doesn’t claim any credit for the rise of the young man he one mentored. He adds: ‘I’m not sure I had any influence. You would have to ask him. I trained with him but I would not want to take any credit for his success whatsoever. That is entirely his own doing.

‘He and Henderson were local boys who came through and made Sunderland around £50m between them. That’s not bad going.’

World Cup 2022

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