Young Lion of the Weekend – Lenny Pidgeley - Watford and England U20s

Lenny Pidgeley is the second player to be selected as TheFA.com’s Young Lion of the Weekend after keeping a clean sheet for an in-form Watford side at the weekend.

Watford defeated Wimbledon 4-0 at Vicarage Road, which stretched The Hornets’ unbeaten run to four games, including three successive clean sheets.

Pidgeley went on loan from Chelsea this year after finding his path to first team football at The Bridge increasingly cluttered by the additions of Neil Sullivan, Marco Ambrosio and Jurgen Macho to the goalkeeping ranks, behind the club's first choice, Carlo Cudicini.

Already he has made 22 appearances for Watford  after joining in mid-September - which included two FA Cup matches against Chelsea - and is currently the club's undisputed first-choice 'keeper.

At international level Lenny has progressed through the Team England ranks - from making his debut in the Victory Shield for the Under-15s in 1999 against Northern Ireland, through to the Under-16s, Under-18s and this season to the Under- 20s. The FA’s Acting Technical Director Les Reed is a big fan. He told TheFA.com:

“Lenny has been in our system from day one, is determined to succeed and has all the technical ingredients to become a top-class goalkeeper.

“Goalkeepers can find it difficult to gain vital experience at their clubs if they are behind established internationals. Going on loan to Watford has enabled him to develop his potential and get valuable first-team games under his belt.

“I was at Vicarage Road to see the Preston game a couple of weeks ago and I thought he was outstanding. At international level he must now be looking towards the Under-21s after reaching his 20th birthday last month, and with a lot of competition around at the moment, regular games at Watford will help him develop his undoubted potential.”

Another England Coach who has worked with Lenny is Goalkeeping Coach Tony Parks. Parks added:

“Lenny has a bright, bubby personality and is a great player to have around the camp. He works very hard at his game, is agile and importantly for a ‘keeper, he has a lot of belief in his own ability.

“He will be learning at Watford under their Goalkeeping Coach Kevin Hitchcock - who knew Lenny from his own playing days at Chelsea – and his exposure to regular first- team football will not only be good for his experience but also his education.

“At Watford the environment will be very different to what he will be used to, so it will open his eyes to life outside Chelsea. He has proved his ability though and the biggest compliment that you can pay is that he has now established himself in the first team, which for a lad just turned 20 is a big accomplishment."