All three England keepers played there - Carlisle's role in trio's rise

Cumbria is an area well known for the Lake District, author Beatrix Potter and of course Cumberland sausages. Turns out they make pretty good goalkeepers too. All three of England's World Cup goalkeepers have featured for Carlisle United. Dean Henderson and James Trafford both came through the club's academy, while the Three Lions' number one Jordan Pickford passed through as a first-team player on loan. It's an accolade and source of huge pride for those presently and formerly associated to the club. sources has been speaking to the coaches and scouts who played a part in the footballing journeys of the England stars. Having made his England debut in 2017, Pickford helped the team reach the World Cup semi-finals the following year in Russia and has cemented his place as manager Thomas Tuchel's number one. Now a veteran of the team with 85 caps at the age of 32, Carlisle played their part in his development after he joined the then-League One team on loan from Sunderland. He only played 18 games for the Cumbria-based club but clearly left his mark. "I remember one game in particular, we were playing at Deepdale against Preston," said Ben Benson, who went to the game as a fan but was also part of Carlisle's goalkeeping set-up. "He made a mistake, one that goalkeepers up and down the country make every week." The stakes couldn't have been higher in the incident Benson recalled as Pickford, aged just 19, had joined a club struggling to stay in the division. Away to Preston he'd come for a cross and, despite seeming to have both hands on the ball, it fell from his grasp and Lee Holmes poked home to score North End's third goal in a 6-1 success. However, it was what Pickford did after that mistake which impressed Benson and set the tone for the rest of the season. He added: "Once it happened, I could remember him going back to his goal. He got his towel and put it over his head for maybe five seconds. "He took it off, put it back on, and it was almost like he'd pressed the reset button. From the moment on, I remember him being outstanding." Pickford's displays weren't enough to save Carlisle from relegation but he returned to Sunderland where he established himself as their first-choice keeper and moved to Everton in 2017 for a transfer fee reported to be £30m. "In Jordan you see reliability and robustness first and foremost," said Benson. "For him to have over 300 Premier League appearance and more than 80 England caps, there's a robustness there and I think that's very important." 'There are tears coming down his face' "The first time I met him was during half-term, he must have been 13 or 14, and he kept pestering me to train with the under-18s. I would say, 'You're too young, you're too small'. But eventually I let him have a go." Sat in a sun-soaked garden a short drive from Carlisle city centre, Eric Kinder clearly takes great delight in delivering the plot twist to his story. "So now we've got two 18-year-old centre-forwards smashing balls at him from 12 and 18 yards," he added to sources. "They're hitting him in the face and in the stomach. There are tears coming down his face but he's getting back up and shouting, 'Do it again! Do it again!' - and I thought 'Wow', what have we got here?" That person was Dean Henderson who, even at such a young age, was clearly doing his part in reaffirming the notion it takes a certain type of character to stand between the sticks. Kinder is now semi-retired after spending the bulk of his career as a goalkeeping coach with Carlisle's various youth teams. In Henderson and Trafford, he is able stake a claim in the development of two of England's World Cup 2026 goalkeepers. 'Even I couldn't score a penalty past him' In the 2025 FA Cup final Henderson, as Crystal Palace's keeper, sprung to his right to save Omar Marmoush's penalty in front of a sold-out Wembley crowd. The 1-0 victory over Manchester City marked a first major trophy for the Eagles. The fact a spot-kick save had played such a crucial part in the outcome brought back fond memories for James Tose, who scouted Henderson as a nine-year old. He had been playing as an outfield player at a community event organised by Carlisle. When a penalty shootout contest was announced, Henderson decided he wanted to go in goal to take part. "We're standing there and all these kids keep lining up taking penalties and Dean keeps saving them all," recalled Tose. "There might have been 18 or 19 penalties. No