The future’s in safe hands

Athletic goalkeeping coach Anthony White

Science is transforming the art of goalkeeping and according to Latics goalkeeping coach Anthony White, his band of young shot-stoppers can only benefit.

Athletic’s fitness and goalkeeping coach is the youngest in the game at only 24, four years the senior of current number one Joel Coleman and the same age as David Cornell.

But in 24 months since taking on a twin role after impressing then-manager Lee Johnson on trial, White has overseen the building of a sports science department in which students help to measure and evaluate performance.

And while rookie professionals will inevitably make mistakes — as Cornell has recently — White’s task is to help nurture talent in every age group long-term - which the club can ideally sell at a profit.

“It’s a big learning curve and you have to become very mature very quickly or you are soon found out,” said White of his own job.

“Seeing Joel come through has helped and seeing Chris Renshaw and Callum O’Neill progress enables people to have a bit more faith in you.”

Coleman has returned to the first team as number one in recent weeks and continues to be watched by higher clubs.

“There are not many English 20 year olds playing League One football,” said White, who was himself an Athletic scholar released at 18, after which he studied psychology in Florida.

White feels traditional methods of goalkeeper training no longer deal with a job that has changed more than any other in recent years.

Goalkeepers now cover around four miles in the penalty area over the course of a game, and handling the ball is decreasing as work with the feet increases. Goalkeepers must cover balls angled in from all areas of the field

“Around 80-per-cent of goals scored in the Premier League are from one-touch finishes,” White said.

“Which areas do we need to work on? You could just put on a standard session, but there’s no point.

“You have to work on the reality of what is happening out there on the pitch. You break the stats down and work from there..”