James Trafford

Goalkeeper marks move to Burnley with starring role in England’s European Under-21 Championship victory

- Nick Bidwell 

A lengthy stint in the third tier of the English game with Bolton Wanderers proved no impediment to England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford, who featured front and centre in the Young Lions’ triumph at this summer’s European Championship.

The Manchester City loanee, on secondment at Bolton for 18 months, looked anything but low grade in his performances this summer at the European finals, keeping a clean sheet in every game and crucially saving both a stoppage-time spot-kick and the subsequent rebound in England’s 1-0 victory over Spain in the final; cometh the hour, cometh the penalty-blocking saviour.

Trafford is certainly a confident lad. “I told everyone I was going to save a penalty,” he revealed after the final. “I knew I would save it. It was pretty easy really. I told all my mates back home I was going to save one. The clean sheet record [a first in Euro U21 Championships] means a lot to us because it will take a massive effort to get broken. We are a very good team. We believe nobody can score against us and we showed that.”