Lion-Hearted

This piece first appeared as part of a Nick Pope feature in Monday night's Turf match magazine, which is available online to Clarets+ subscribers

Nick Pope might be a fully fledged England international, but he hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from.

And if the Clarets’ keeper ever wants a reminder, he need only look out of his lounge window.

That will be true, at least, in the next couple of weeks once he has arranged the delivery of a set of goalposts he has acquired from York City.

With the Minstermen having moved out of their Bootham Crescent home of 89 years - and switching the floodlights off for the final time last week - the fixtures and fittings have been sold off.

And with Pope fondly remembering a loan spell from Charlton Athletic to York in 2013/14 – when he helped the now-National League North side reach the League Two play-offs – he was happy to help out with an ultimately successful bid for one of the sets of woodwork.

“I knew they had been planning to leave Bootham Crescent,” said Pope, who kept 16 clean sheets in 24 appearances for a York side managed by ex-Northern Ireland boss Nigel Worthington.

“I thought it would be a nice thing to do. With a blind auction you never really know if you’ve got them for a week or so afterwards.

“I’d almost forgotten about it until I got a message to say I’d bought some goalposts!

“I thought it would help the club, whether I won the bid or not, and they gave me a lot of help in the four or five months I was there.

“They did a tremendous amount for my career at that time. As a young goalkeeper it was a gamble for them to take me in the first place.

“I really enjoyed living in the city and playing for the club. It’s something I have happy memories of.

“I still follow their results – as I do for most of my old clubs – and I wish them all the best and hope they make it back into the League.”

Touch wood - for Pope and his old club - they do.