Skip to main content

Pope’s England outing pleases Dyche

Burnley boss Sean Dyche was delighted to see the latest step in Nick Pope’s development, with a first England start for the Clarets goalkeeper.

Pope played the full 90 minutes of the Three Lions’ 4-0 win in Kosovo, adding to the previous international cap he won as a substitute against Costa Rica 18 months ago.

After no Premier League appearances in 2018/19 he has emerged as the club’s undisputed number one this term, with Heaton sold to Aston Villa and Hart on the bench.

“I’m pleased for him,” said Dyche.

“It was a dominant night (in Kosovo), but the one thing I know from being a defender, let alone being a goalkeeper, is that it’s lovely when you’re playing and you get a clean sheet.

“He’ll be very pleased with that, regardless of whether he had a relatively quiet evening or not.

“And just the feeling of being out there and playing and being part of it. He’s enjoyed the experience. He’s come through a serious injury and keeps delivering performances and I think he continues to improve, as well.”

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.