Two clean sheets later and David James was rightly being praised from all quarters after his professional performances helped the 3 Lions climb back to the top of Group Seven and move a step closer to Portugal.

For the England Cerebral Palsy team at present there is no goalkeeping debate, purely because there are currently no known options.

FA Technical Adviser Paul Harrison said:

"The FA in January announced a £600,000 support package for Disability football development for the very first time. We are currently looking to develop Disability Football around the country with the creation of new regional pan-disability coaching centres, and FA Community Partner McDonald's are also pledging to double the number of trained coaches over the next 4 years.

"Through this strategy, supported by our County FA's around the country we will hopefully attract a whole new group of people to get involved in football for the first time.

"At the top of the Disability football pyramid we have five national Disability teams, and we are constantly looking to find more players who could potentially represent the 3 Lions in European and World Championships, including finding a new 'keeper for the Cerebral Palsy side."

England's Cerebral Palsy team last year competed in the 2002 Cerebral Palsy European Championships in Kiev, having to overcome extreme heat, the loss of their captain through food poisoning and their goalkeeper breaking his collarbone to still finish a creditable seventh.

Last weekend the squad got together for a training camp at Lilleshall in Shropshire under the watchful eye of new Coach Steve Bartlett, whose day job sees him working at Colchester United's Football in the Community scheme.

The squad received a pleasant surprise on Sunday when Arsenal and England centre-back Sol Campbell dropped in on their training session to offer some words of encouragement, sharing his pride at representing his country, and expressing his awe at the CP's taking part in an event as large, and global as the Paralympics.

He would also have heard how, like his Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger, the England Cerebral Palsy side are looking to the future with regard to the goalkeeping position, as the 3 Lions prepare for their forthcoming 2003 World Championships.

The motivation - if pulling on an England jersey were not enough - for any interested goalkeeper is that the 2003 World CP Championships will be played in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.

The squad will be fully supported for the tournament by The Football Association with kit, equipment and fully qualified medical staff, and the players are also invited to an annual Caps presentation ceremony at Soho Square.

Interested players, especially goalkeepers should contact Paul Harrison or Jeff Davis at The Football Association on 0207 745 4596, or e-mail: Paul.Harrison@TheFA.com  or Jeff.Davis@TheFA.com 

More information about CP Football:

Classification - Players must be ambulant.

Rule Adaptations:

• There are seven players on each side
• There two halves of 30 minutes each
• There is no off-side
• Players are allowed to roll or throw the ball back into play (to aid players with hemaplegia, paralysis down one side of the body).

More information on Cerebral Palsy sport in general can be obtained from Cerebral Palsy Sport on 0115 982 5352 or 0115 982 5358. 

Email: info@cpsport.org  
Website: www.cpsport.org