When Sam Tickle reported for England Under 21s duty for the first time in September 2023, it capped a remarkable five years for the goalkeeper.
Back in 2018, Tickle, who had been in Wigan’s academy since the age of 10, failed to earn a scholarship deal at the club because he was deemed too small.
Now, Tickle, who joined Pilkington in the Cheshire Football League before rejoining Wigan 12 months later, was walking into a dressing room that included the likes of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Harvey Elliott and James Trafford.
‘It was crazy,’ Tickle, who became the first homegrown Wigan youngster since Leighton Baines in 2006 to be called up by England, tells Mail Sport.
‘The first time you go in you think “what am I doing here, what is going on here?” The training standard was a joke.
‘When I got called up, (Wigan team-mate) Scott Smith said “have you heard anything from England?”, and I was like “shut up mate, that won’t happen”.
Wigan’s Sam Tickle, 22, is one of the best goalkeepers in the Football League right now
Tickle has played almost 100 times for Wigan and been involved with England Under 21s
Tickle’s form has also seen him linked to several clubs, including both Man United and Arsenal
‘I went out to train and when I came back I had a text about it and I thought “nah, somebody’s winding me up here”, and then they confirmed it. It was a bit of a mad one.
‘It was strange because I was the only player from League One, but the lads were great.’
Despite the surprise nature of the call-up for Tickle, it was just another step on the journey of what has been an impressive few years for the 22-year-old, who was on loan at seventh-tier Warrington Rylands just months before his first England experience.
He made his league debut for Wigan on the final day of the 2022-23 campaign, and since then Tickle has played 75 league games on the trot and firmly established himself as one of the best young keepers in the EFL, racking up 27 clean sheets.
Club sources tell Mail Sport there is a widespread view among staff that Tickle is the best academy graduate Wigan have ever produced – even surpassing 30-time England international Baines – while his shot-stopping is hailed as Premier League standard.
Tickle has an outstanding save percentage of 77 per cent in League One this season and he is outperforming his Expected Goals Against – a figure which measures how likely a shot is to go in compared to similar previous instances – for the second successive campaign.
Throughout our conversation, Tickle’s humble and mature character shines through, and along with his shot-stopping, it is this that makes him stand out from other keepers, with sources effusive in their praise for the 22-year-old.
‘Being released and joining Pilkington was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,’ Tickle adds.
Wigan sources told Mail Sport that Tickle is widely viewed as the club’s best ever academy graduate, even surpassing 30-time England international Leighton Baines
In his first England squad, Tickle was inside a dressing room with Chelsea star Cole Palmer
‘Getting thrown into the deep end with big units just smacking me everywhere and going into a men’s changing room, that really helped me.’
Tickle, who was 5ft 7in at the time of his release, returned to the club 12 months later standing 6ft tall – and his progress is testament to Wigan and their boss Shaun Maloney.
For not only has the former Latics midfielder helped stability return to a club that suffered significant financial difficulties in 2023, but he has also overseen a talented crop of homegrown youngsters.
Alongside Tickle, Thelo Aasgaard and Charlie Hughes shone before being sold for hefty fees in recent times.
Elsewhere, Wigan’s squad includes academy graduates like Harry McHugh, Jensen Weir, Baba Adeeko and James Carragher, son of Jamie.
‘The gaffer has been so much help,’ Tickle says. ‘Every few games he’d pull me in to see how I was and I remember him before the first game saying “I don’t care how many mistakes you make, you’re playing next week”.’
The high watermark of Tickle’s career came in March when the now-6ft 2in stopper made his England Under 21s debut in a 7-0 victory against Luxembourg.
‘It was crazy because I didn’t think I was going to play but Traff (James Trafford) got called up by the seniors,’ he says.
Tickle’s progress is testament to Wigan and the work their boss Shaun Maloney has done
Maloney has overseen the development of a talented crop of homegrown youngsters, including Thelo Aasgaard (above), who was sold to Luton during the January transfer window
‘The morning before the game I got told I was playing, so I was buzzing. But the match was at Bolton (Wigan’s rivals) so every time I touched the ball I got booed.
‘After 20 minutes I don’t think I had touched it and then Harvey Elliott booted one back from the halfway line so I was absolutely ecstatic because I thought I wasn’t going to get a touch.’
Tickle’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with Birmingham, Sunderland, Preston and Everton among the clubs touted with an interest, while some reports have claimed Man United and Arsenal are eyeing up a move.
But for Tickle, who signed a new four-year deal last summer amid the speculation, the noise is just part and parcel of the game.
‘It’s nice to see your name linked but it doesn’t impact me,’ he says. ‘As long as I get to play football, I’m happy.
‘I’m living the dream and all I wanted to do was to come through at Wigan and play for Wigan.
‘I’m a Man United fan but I’ve been at the club so long that I’m a Wigan fan now.’
This weekend, attention for Tickle turns to the FA Cup fourth round when his side take on Fulham.
The highly-rated Tickle made his England Under 21s debut against Luxembourg last March
Tickle’s shot-stopping is a major trait and it has been described as Premier League standard
Wigan know more than most what the magic of the cup means following some memorable days in recent times.
In 2013, Maloney put in the cross for Ben Watson’s header that saw Wigan shock Man City to win the FA Cup, while the Latics also beat Pep Guardiola’s side in the fifth round in 2018.
‘I went (to the 2013 final),’ Tickle says. ‘The club put on coaches for all of the academy so we all went down together with our families.
‘It was unbelievable. We were right behind where Ben Watson scored.’
Last year, Wigan were pitted against Man United in the third round, with the Red Devils winning 2-0, yet it was still an unforgettable experience for Tickle.
‘It was unbelievable,’ he recalls. ‘I remember in the canteen, we had the draw on the TV and we all went mad.
‘I got (Andre) Onana’s shirt and I spoke to Tom Heaton for a bit so it was a special occasion, especially for me and my dad because he’s a United fan as well.’
This weekend promises to be a challenge, with Fulham ninth in the Premier League and Marco Silva keen to add a domestic trophy to his reign at Craven Cottage.
Maloney was part of the Wigan side who won the FA Cup in 2013 when they shocked Man City
Tickle said that facing Man United in the third round of the FA Cup last year was ‘unbelievable’
So, can Wigan and Tickle conjure up some more cup magic?
‘It will be a tough ask,’ he says. ‘But it will be a great occasion for the town and everyone.
‘We can use it as an opportunity to show how good we are. The special thing about the FA Cup, especially with Wigan, is Wigan knows how much it means in terms of that history.
‘So, yeah, why not, there’s always a chance.’
Burnley’s record-breaking defence
Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League last season under Vincent Kompany was characterised by a leaky and error-strewn defence as they shipped 78 goals at a rate of more than two-per game.
But, less than nine months on and the transformation couldn’t be more stark, with Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Oxford meaning the Clarets have conceded a remarkable nine goals in 31 matches.
Scott Parker’s side have not conceded a league goal for 820 minutes, the longest run in their history, while highly-rated keeper James Trafford’s 22 clean sheets is already a club record for a single campaign.
In fact, the England Under 21 stopper is on an astonishing run of nine shut-outs in a row and Burnley are on course to beat Chelsea’s record of conceding just 15 in the 2004-05 season – a team Parker was a part of – although that came across 38 rather than 46 games.
The only negative is that their 0-0 draw with Portsmouth at the weekend was Burnley’s tenth stalemate of the season, so perhaps Turf Moor is not the place to visit if you’re looking for entertainment.
Scott Parker’s Burnley have conceded just nine league goals across 31 matches this season
Clarets stopper James Trafford (left) hasn’t conceded a league goal for 820 minutes
Frank’s finding his way
There has been a lot of discussion about the managerial record of England’s Golden Generation over the past week after Steven Gerrard left Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq following an underwhelming 18 months in charge.
In recent days, Wayne Rooney also outlined his desire to give coaching another go despite a difficult spell with Plymouth, with the Man United icon yet to impress across four roles.
One man who is proving the doubters wrong however is Frank Lampard, and Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Swansea was Coventry’s fourth win on the trot.
Despite last night’s defeat by Leeds, the Sky Blues are just three points off the play-offs having been two clear of the drop when the former Chelsea and Everton boss arrived in November to much scepticism.
Frank Lampard is starting to prove the doubters wrong as he impresses at Coventry City
Holloway still working his magic
When Ian Holloway returned to management with Swindon in October following a four-year break from the game, the charismatic 61-year-old couldn’t have chosen a much tougher job given the myriad of off-field problems facing the League Two club.
The first few months didn’t go well, with Holloway picking up just five points in his first seven league games, while the former Blackpool boss even clashed with a fan after a defeat by Bradford City and put their poor run down to the training ground being ‘haunted’.
You would have been forgiven for thinking this was proof that Holloway’s time in the game was coming to an end, with the Robins teetering on the brink of the relegation zone.
Yet a remarkable upturn that has seen Swindon win four games on the spin – including a stunning 5-1 victory at Carlisle last Saturday – firmly shows that Holloway can still work his magic in the EFL.
