When Sam Tickle reported for England Under 21s duty for the first time in September 2023, it capped a remarkable five years for the goalkeeper.
Back in 2018, Tickle, who had been in Wigan's academy since the age of 10, failed to earn a scholarship deal at the club because he was deemed too small.
Now, Tickle, who joined Pilkington in the Cheshire Football League before rejoining Wigan 12 months later, was walking into a dressing room that included the likes of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Harvey Elliott and James Trafford.
‘It was crazy,’ Tickle, who became the first homegrown Wigan youngster since Leighton Baines in 2006 to be called up by England, tells Mail Sport.