I BY SU BEN NSPIRED HIS OWN PERHERO
EVERY professional footballer grew up as a kid idolising one of the game’s stars, hoping to emulate their talent on the pitch, but Coventry City goalkeeper Ben Wilson admits to having a rather left-field idol as a teenager.
He took inspiration from
Iker Casillas, who was the world’s top shot-stopper for Real Madrid during Wilson’s childhood, while former Manchester United player Ben Foster was another he looked up to. But his absolute favourite? Mart Poom.
“My school password was based on Mart Poom, it was ‘poominator,’” he told the Coventry Telegraph. “Not many people probably know who he is, but he was great.”
Estonian goalkeeper Poom spent 15 years in English football and is most closely associated with Derby County, although he also had a brief stint at Arsenal.
The two players’ careers overlapped at Sunderland in the mid-noughties, when Wilson was coming through the academy while Poom’s career was winding down. “I used to work with him quite a bit when I was a child coming through. He was doing his coaching badges and took a few sessions with us,” said Wilson. “He was a legend, he was fantastic in my eyes.” Now the 30-yearold is taking what he learned from Poom and putting it into action for the Sky Blues, having wrestled the starting spot from Simon Moore. Goalkeepers don’t always take
well to competition for their place in the team, but the pair remain tight.
“Simon is amazing,” Wilson said. “He works extremely hard every single game. We’ve got a fantastic relationship, he’s a great lad.
“We have little conversations to help one another and he’s a pleasure to work with. As is [Tom] Billson, the young lad coming through. We have such a good, unique relationship on and off the training field.
“I must mention Aled (Williams, the goalkeeping coach) as well, before he gets jealous. We’ve got such a close knit group, it’s a pleasure to be a part of.”
Wilson’s run of three clean sheets on the bounce was stopped by Rotherham United in midweek, although he could consider himself unlucky for the Millers’ second goal. He initially saved Conor Washington’s first effort, but the ball bounced awkwardly and straight into the Northern Ireland international’s grateful feet for a tapin.
“Conor Washington came up to me afterwards saying how lucky he was,” he revealed. “It was a bit unfortunate, I maybe closed my shoulder a bit too much and the ball span his way. But the lads fought to come from behind twice and we got a good result in the end.”
He added: “The way the results have
The way the results have been going and the lads have been performing, it’s been a real positive.
Ben Wilson
been going and the lads have been performing, it’s been a real positive block (of games) for me so far, so long may it continue. The ten lads in front of me, from back to front, have been doing an amazing job.
For Wilson this is his longest string of games in the City team since the 2020/21 campaign, which was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and led to games being played in front of empty stands.
Now that the CBS Arena is full of supporters, he is relishing every game with fans, especially since they have taken a liking to him.
He added: “They have been amazing, home or away they have been so loud, it’s fantastic. Especially when they sing my name, that’s quite a nice feeling. I’m not used to that, so to hear that is obviously amazing.”
The condensed season has not helped City injury wise, while it also limits their time on the training ground to hone their tactical gameplan. How is the squad dealing with it?
“I think it’s just about getting around the physical side of it. You’ve got no time to recover really. The games are coming so thick and fast.
“In the Championship it’s non-stop and the 90 minutes are pure carnage. For the lads it’s about getting as much recovery time in as possible, while getting the most out of being on the grass.”
Does he prefer to be the hero making spectacular saves every game or be left with next to nothing to do?
“If I can keep my kit as clean as it was when I walked onto the pitch, I’m happy,” he jokes.
“It’s always nice to keep a clean sheet and do something amazing in the game, but at the end of the day a clean sheet is a clean sheet, so I’m happy whether I have nothing to do or I have to make a few saves. If I go 90 minutes without touching the ball it means my defenders have done a fantastic job.”
Ideally, City won’t have to call upon him to save the day, but if they do they are in safe hands.