Everton tried to sign me, but I was already on their books as a goalkeeper
MARK ROBINS will have to choose between two excellent goalkeepers when he selects his team to take on Wolves in the FA Cup.
Bradley Collins has been given the gloves for the Sky Blues’ last two Championship wins over Watford and Rotherham.
However, Ben Wilson has been the Robins’ favorite goalkeeper in the FA Cup this season, starring in Coventry’s victories over Oxford, Sheffield Wednesday and Maidstone.
Yet there is another option that Robins can use in an emergency.
His experienced left-back Jake Bidwell was more than useful between the sticks as a child.
In fact, it was a matter of doubt whether he would pursue a career as a No. 1 or a No. 3 – after Everton offered him a contract in BOTH positions!
The 30-year-old Sky Blues defender said: “I was an Everton goalkeeper from the age of 11 to 13.
“To be honest, it’s a bit of a strange story. As a child I always played outfield. But my Sunday League goalkeeper had family in Australia and he went to visit them for six weeks.
“As a result, we no longer had a goalkeeper, so I volunteered and took over in goal for six weeks.
“I must have done well because during that time I was scouted by Everton and then botched the trial!
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“I ended up spending two years at Goodison Park, but after a while I stopped enjoying it.
“I don’t think I ever really felt like goalkeeper was my position.”
Everton told Southport-born Bidwell to take a break from goalkeeping to revive his interest in the position.
He added: ‘They told me to go away for six months and see how I felt.
“They wanted me to take a break and then come back.
“So in those six months I went back to playing on the pitch and was picked for my regional team and then an Everton scout saw me playing.
“He didn’t know who I was so he invited me to a trial match at Anfield and the rest is history.
“Everton liked what they saw from me as a left-back and the scout asked me if I wanted to sign for the Toffees.
“I told them he didn’t need to bother with the forms because I was already on their books as their Academy goalkeeper!”
It is a well-known football quirk that most goalkeepers like to play outside when they get the chance for training. So does the former Brentford, QPR and Swansea full-back ever heckle Robins and ask to go between the sticks during training?
He confessed: “Absolutely not! To be honest, I was a big boy, but I haven’t grown since I was thirteen; my days as a goalkeeper are long gone!
“To be honest we have three top goalkeepers at the club so I won’t be making a comeback anytime soon.”
That means Bidwell will be in his usual spot at left-back at Molineux as Coventry look to reach Wembley for the semi-finals.
He says he can’t believe some people see the Midlands’ FA Cup run as a distraction from their main goal: qualifying for the Championship play-offs.
He said: “It would be massive to go to Wembley. Personally, I love the FA Cup and the chance to play against different sides.
“We’ve played Oxford and Maidstone who were below us in the pyramid – now we face Wolves.
“It’s great to experience something different and this run was great for the fans.
“If you are successful the matches can pile up, but we all enjoy the challenge. It’s a big game, a Midlands derby, and it’ll be live on TV – it’s going to be a great occasion.
“This is the furthest I’ve come in the thirteen years I’ve been trying.
“I love playing in the FA Cup and I can’t understand why anyone else wouldn’t.”
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