But for Kenny Sansom's form and his own injury record, the speedy young
West Bromwich Albion full back Derek Statham could have spent a decade
in the England team. Earmarked as international quality when still a teenager
at the Hawthorns, he was almost 24 before he was finally blooded for England
when Bobby Robson played him in the 1983 Home International match against
Wales at Wembley (the photo above is during the game), which England
won 2-1.
He won two more caps during that summer's tour of Australia
but Sansom was more secure in the left back position than any other England
regular, and Statham never got another sniff, especially when injuries started
to plague him just as he was hitting form. Many pundits called for his return,
but it never happened, and although a move to Southampton increased his
profile, a certain Stuart Pearce was by now in the squad. (Matthew Rudd) |