Luton's James Shea on learning from non-league - and Wojciech Szczesny
Ex-Arsenal stopper dropped down to seventh tier before returning to EFL
Thursday 21 March 2019 14:21, UK
Luton 'keeper James Shea has kept more clean sheets than Alisson and Ederson over the past 12 months and the ex-Arsenal youth product credits a drop into non-league with kickstarting his career.
The 27-year-old has kept out the opposition 21 times since last March - more than anyone else in England's top four divisions - as the Hatters have moved to the top of League One in search of a second consecutive promotion.
The Islington-born stopper was let go by Arsenal in 2013 and turned out for Needham Market and Harrow Borough in the seventh tier before a return to league football with Wimbledon. He sees those days as pivotal.
"At first, I didn't know how to react," he tells Sky Sports at the EFL Day of Action. "I had been at a big club and then dropped to non-league and it was an eye-opener. But it was the best thing I've ever done, I really mean that. It probably gave me confidence if anything.
"I went to Needham and Harrow Borough, and actually I really wish I'd done it when I was 17, 18 and played proper football. I felt I'd just done it a few years too late.
"For any young goalkeeper, I would say: 'Go do it. Go play men's football.' You make mistakes, but that is the best way to learn. I wouldn't change it for the world."
Shea found out a lot about his own game in those non-league days, playing a full season as No 1 rather than sitting on the bench of a larger club or playing in U23 football.
He was visiting places such as Grays, Billericay and Enfield and even kept a clean sheet in an away cup tie at Met Police. While doing so, his boss at Harrow was searching for a route back into the pro game.
"When I signed for Harrow, I had Dave Anderson - that fella was unbelievable," Shea says of the Harrow manager and ex-Wimbledon boss.
"He said he'd get me back into professional football and, to be honest, I just left it to him and concentrated on my game. Dave was a man of his word. He pestered and pestered Wimbledon and in the end they took me!"
Though Shea feels he really found his style as a 'keeper in non-league, he learnt a lot while at the Emirates, from both goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts ("I owe him a lot"), but also Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who was at the Emirates from 2009-17.
"I used to train with Wojciech and I learnt a lot off him. A big thing was how he started, his positioning. When coming out for the ball, and I've tried to follow that."
He also looks to the current crop of top Premier League 'keepers for inspiration. Shea is not the tallest of goalkeepers, but he doesn't see this as a disadvantage, asserting that technique and confidence will shine through.
"No, [it is not a disadvantage] at all. It's a perception that keepers need to be 6ft 5in, 6ft 6in. It's ridiculous," he says. "If you're good enough, you should play.
"Look at Ederson at Man City, he's just over 6ft and is one of the best keepers in the world. You don't have to be tall. People's perception is that taller keepers will always come from crosses - it doesn't mean that at all. It's a load of rubbish."
After leaving Arsenal and coming back up via non-league, Shea spent three seasons with Wimbledon, which included promotion from League Two, before leaving in 2017 and being snapped up by Luton.
He gained control of the No 1 shirt last March, added another League Two promotion, and has kept 21 clean sheets in 43 league games. Now top of League One, with a new stadium on the way, Shea was full of praise for the club and the town.
Speaking at Luton Town Community Trust's training session for the Every Player Counts adult pan-disability team, Shea said: "You see what the club is doing for the whole town on and off the pitch and it's unbelievable. Everyone wants to be a part of a massive club that's going forward."
Despite the ups and downs of his early career, Shea is using those experiences to fuel his confidence and now finds himself on the cusp of another promotion.
Luton are five points clear in League One with eight games to go, so the 'keeper could soon find himself in the second tier, which would be quite a journey from Harrow and Needham five tiers below.
"I wouldn't change anything that's happened," he says. "I was let go by Wimbledon, but now I'm here and we're top of League One - I just hope the ride continues."
James Shea was speaking on the #EFLDayofAction when EFL clubs highlighted the work undertaken to tackle some of society's biggest issues
