8:50am Friday 3rd July 2009
By Ashley Loveridge
GOALKEEPER Tom Pass is hoping his Wembley masterclass will earn him a full-time deal with Forest Green.
France under-18s may have dished out a footballing lesson to England Schoolboys, winning 4-2 at Wembley, but an absolutely brilliant display by Pass underlined his huge potential.
With Ryan Robinson moving to Bath City, Rovers are searching for a number two to provide competition for Terry Burton and Pass is keen to take his chance.
He is due to meet boss Jim Harvey and assistant Dave Brown this week in the hope of securing a professional contract after finishing his national diploma in sport at Hartpury College.
“I was on the bench for a couple of Conference games last season and played for the reserves. I hope to be offered a professional chance.”
Playing for England was never really in the thoughts of the Newport-born teenager, who was called up “out of the blue” to the under-18s squad, keeping a clean sheet on his debut, a 3-0 Centenary Shield win over Wales.
Yet just days earlier he had been hoping for a call up for his home nation.
Pass said: “I had been watching Wales and was saying I wanted to play for them, then a letter came through asking me to try out with England.”
Pass qualifies for England thanks to his mother Tracey’s parents, and went for a series of vigorous trials in Somerset, London, Staffordshire and finally Spain.
There, in a friendly against Villareal, Pass kept a clean sheet for 45 minutes before his replacement conceded twice resulting in a 2-0 defeat.
That was back in February - and days later he played in the Centenary Shield tie at Boston United FC.
He then played against Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
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