Town goalkeeper Will Henry has been invited to an England Goalkeepers Camp at St George’s Park next week.
The talented 18-year-old has been rewarded for his fine form this season with a place at the camp, which will see him train alongside some of the country’s best young stoppers.
Henry will head to the National Football Centre next Wednesday and will be put through his paces by specialist coaches for the remainder of the week in what is an excellent opportunity for the youngster.
Speaking about his call-up, Henry told swindontownfc.co.uk: “It is unbelievable really and it is just a dream come true to be called up to train with your country.
“I’m really looking forward to it and it will be good to get some good experience there.
“My hard work is paying off and every game I’ve played in so far I’ve played really well so it is just another big step forward.
“St George’s Park is state of the art so it will be great to experience that atmosphere and be able to train with keepers who are a similar age to me and playing at a top level in the country.
“Anything I learn from the coaches will be great and hopefully it will help my game and enable me to move forward in my development.”
Henry will get the chance to train alongside goalkeepers from Premier League Academy sides and Town’s Head of Goalkeeping, Dean Thornton feels the experience will only benefit the youngster as a player.
“It is a massive opportunity for him,” he said.
“He’s going to go up to St George’s and he’s going to compete against boys that are in and around his age group so he can see where he’s at now as a goalkeeper.
“I imagine there will be two or three top keepers in the country from the so called bigger clubs and it will be good for him to compete against them on a daily basis.
“Will is probably going to be the most experienced goalkeeper there, even though he’s not at a Category One or Two Academy.
“He’s probably going to have the most league appearances so it might be a strange atmosphere in terms of the other keepers might be asking Will for advice and asking him what it is like playing in the league and things like that.
“It will be good for Will to play against them and see where he is.
“I’ve been here over three months now and about a week into the job I actually spoke to Tim Dittmer, who does the National Goalkeeping Coaching for England and I actually recommended Will.
“Going to an unbelievable facility will give Will a taste for it and he will want another taste, so when he comes back to Swindon he will want to improve anyway and he’ll want to be there on a regular basis.
“It is brilliant for the club that Swindon are getting recognised.”
