By James Sharpe For Mailonline
Published: 21:56 GMT, 22 March 2019 | Updated: 21:56 GMT, 22 March 2019
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This was a night on which Jordan Pickford had a couple of personal aims to fulfil. The first, as he promised in his press conference on the eve of the game, was to keep a clean sheet for Gordon Banks.
England’s match here at Wembley on Friday night, the opening game of their European Championships qualifiers, was their first since the legendary goalkeeper died last month.
Before kick-off, Wembley had joined in applause to remember Banks as footage of his most famous saves, including the greatest of them all against Pele, played on the big screens. The crowd passed around a gigantic banner of Banks’ yellow No.1 shirt from 1966. His family were in the royal box. Pickford wore a yellow shirt of his own, the players all wore black armbands.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was largely untroubled as England thrashed the Czech Republic
Pickford had received a hand-written note from Banks ahead of the World Cup wishing him faith and good luck. Pickford’s own tribute was to do what few have ever done as well as Banks: keep the opposition out.
First task achieved. But you can only imagine that when Pickford made that promise, in his mind he had images of flinging himself this way and that in front of unstoppable ballistic missiles, only to thrust out an arm and tip shots over the bar with the stitching on the end of his gloves. Getting to his feet, punching the air. Maybe even pointing up to the sky. That’s for you, Gordon.
Not only to do justice to the man, but also to himself. Pickford headed into this game with his own point to prove having been forced to defend his
