So sad: I might not return Nathan Baxter declares urgent break due to his current status…….
Nathan Baxter has a clear career plan as the Chelsea teenager attempts to emulate the exploits of England goalkeepers Jordan Pickford, Joe Hart and Jack Butland on his way to the top.
Pickford enjoyed loan spells at non-league sides Darlington and Alfreton Town on his way to becoming England’s No.1 keeper, while Hart and Butland also spent time in the lower divisions.
For Baxter, his route to hopefully fulfilling his dream of playing for Chelsea has seen him play for Met Police in non-league, Solihull Moors and Woking in the National League and now he is in League Two with Yeovil.
The 19-year-old is the only teenage goalkeeper currently in English football’s professional ranks to have racked up over 100 appearances in the senior game.
As one of Chelsea’s loanees, he played more minutes than anyone else last season – 4320 in total – and Baxter has explained why he chose to begin in the lower reaches of English football before working his way up.
“My third game for Solihull Moors was in the National League and it came against Lincoln at home,” Baxter told Goal. “They had just played a big FA Cup game. They had a big crowd, it was a physical side and it was a constant test in aerial battles. It was wet and windy.
“I thought afterwards I probably learned more than in any game I had ever played in before. The main things you learn are not from the games individually but playing Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday in a 50-game season. That’s the challenge more than any game in particular.
“I think to have played over 100 senior games is an achievement that I am proud of. Any manager wants a goalkeeper they can trust, the more games in senior football that you play, the more mature you get and I think that’s how any player improves.
“You need match time, it is extremely important and, so far, I have been able to get that at Yeovil and at all the clubs I have been at, even though there is always strong competition when you go on loan, especially in my position because only one player can play.
