Sheffield Wednesday youngster Pierce Charles was once again between the posts on the international stage last night.
The talent made his maiden appearance for Northern Ireland over the weekend with Charles earning rave reviews for his efforts.
Last night, he kept the gloves as the Green and White Army enjoyed a fine 5-0 win over a hapless Bulgaria outfit.
The Owls player has made three Carabao Cup appearances this season and Danny Rohl has given him a chance to be part of the Wednesday squad.
Eyebrows were raised when the club chose not to loan Charles out but perhaps his development is best served at Hillsborough for now.
Last night, the Wednesday man was in action again and some comments have been made regarding his performance.
National media deliver verdict on Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pierce Charles
It’s fair to say that during a 5-0 win it’s quite clear that a goalkeeper hasn’t had much to do so nobody will be getting carried away.
However, Charles now has consecutive clean sheets for Northern Ireland and nobody can take that away from him.
Last night he was very unlucky not to get himself an assist after a quite remarkable pass that led Michael O’Neill’s team towards a disallowed goal.
His distribution is utterly brilliant and it’s one attribute that once again caught the eye last night on the international stage.
The Belfast Telegraph scored him a 7/10 for his efforts and claimed: “Windsor Park bow for the teenage stopper, Charles started the move that led to Price’s second and an extraordinary pass to Bradley ended in a disallowed goal. Wasn’t even tested with the penalty.”
Belfast Live also scored him 7/10 and agreed on the stopper’s kicking, saying: “Didn’t have a lot to do, excellent with the ball at his feet.”
Charles can be Wednesday number one at some point
It looks likely that Wednesday will give Charles the chance to claim the gloves on a more frequent basis in the coming years.
This year he’s acting as the understudy to James Beadle but as he’s only on loan from Brighton, Wednesday will need a regular number one in the future.
Charles must have seen his confidence go through the roof after making two appearances in senior international football.
That bodes well for Wednesday and with Sal Bibbo in place as the goalkeeping coach the stopper looks to be in good hands.
One of the most important things that a keeper can have in their locker in the modern era is the ability to pass a football.
These comments show that Charles has that attribute nailed and it might not be too long before he’s donning the gloves as the Wednesday number one.