The Newcastle United goalkeeper made his England debut as the U17s drew 1-1 with Czech Republic on Wednesday evening in the opening match of The FA International Tournament in Kidderminster.
With further games against Portugal on Friday and Italy on Sunday, the 16-year-old is hoping to not only add to his first cap but to impress head coach John Peacock enough to earn a call-up for the European Qualifiers in October.
England v Portugal
The FA U17 International Tournament
7.30pm, Friday 29 August 2014
Proact Stadium, Chesterfield FC
Speaking to TheFA.com, Woolston said he was satisfied with his first appearance for the Three Lions: “I was happy that my family were there. My brother, sister, parents, every one of them travelled down to watch which I was really pleased about and it was a great experience.
“And they were a good team, really physical and they pressed for most of the game, so they made it difficult for us.
“I had a lot of the ball, which is interesting for me as a goalkeeper as that is different from what I’m used to in club football, but I was involved quite a lot and I had to ensure I stayed concentrated and do everything right.”
He added: “I think my distribution is one of my strongest points. I’m not the tallest, so if I can continue and excel with that then it could help to push me up to the higher levels of the game.”
Woolston made national headlines earlier this year when appearing for his club’s under-21 side against Manchester United. He explained: “I was only 15 at the time, and I thought I was going to be on the bench.
Woolston catches a ball during England training
“I went in with all the other players around 5pm for the team meeting, and the gaffer Peter Beardsley was just sticking the team-sheet up on the screen – and I saw my name in goal.
“I was nervous straight away, but the boss told me I’d done fine in training and had nothing to worry about, and I managed to keep a clean sheet and we won 1-0 – the first clean sheet of the season,” added the youngster with a smile.
“There were two or three saves I made that I was pleased with and kept us in it, but the team controlled the game after we got the lead.
“I got quite a bit of attention after that, and the first-team manager Alan Pardew called me in for the dinner the next day – which was brilliant for me. He told me I’d done really well and that I had to continue building my game up from there.”
Woolston is certainly not one to rest on his laurels, and it is clear to see he already has a clear idea of where he wants to go in his career.
“The quality of goalkeepers at the club shows where the level is at"
Woolston on the standard of his Newcastle team-mates
“Freddie Woodman and Tim Krul are two players that I look up to and are in places that I’d like to be in the future.
“I speak with Fred nearly every day in training at Newcastle, and he was brilliant in goal when England U17s won the Euros in May. He told me before coming away here that I should just enjoy it and be myself – whilst doing what I do best.”
And on Krul, he added: “Tim is another great role model, and he showed at the World Cup how important it is to always be prepared. Even if I’m not selected to start, you could be called in at any minute, so you need to be ready – he proved that for Holland in the shoot-out in Brazil.”
With the calibre of goalkeeper at St. James’ Park, including Republic of Ireland international Rob Elliot, Woolston firmly believes he is in the right place to prosper.
“The quality of goalkeepers at the club, with nearly all of them at the first-team end internationals at various ages, shows where the level is at. Hopefully I can continue with my development and keep my place as an international over the years and eventually make my first-team debut too.”
Woolston will be hoping to win his second England cap when the Young Lions take on Portugal at Chesterfield FC on Friday, kick-off 7:30pm.
