David Stockdale is turning into something of a lucky charm for Fulham. The Whites remain unbeaten in the seven matches the keeper has played in this season and once again Stockdale's family and friends will be heading to the Cottage en masse this weekend to get behind their man.
Amongst the 1,000 or so Fulham fans at Wigan last weekend were Stockdale’s crew, and the goalkeeper clearly takes great pride in rewarding those close to him for all the support they gave him during his formative years.
“I took something like 15 or 20 tickets for the Wigan game and the support at Wigan was brilliant - I love playing near our fans because they support us so well,” Stockdale told fulhamfc.com. “I’m snapping them [tickets] up and I need to buy about another 10 or 15 for the Stoke game on Saturday!
“Even when I was on loan at Plymouth my Mum and Dad flew down to watch me play. I don’t blame them because they took a chunk out of their lives to travel around the country and now I’m trying to get rewards for not only the Club and the fans, but for them as well.
“For me to be playing in the Premier League, which is the best League in the world, is a proud moment for them and touch wood since I’ve come in to the side we haven’t lost.”
Stockdale’s early season form had him set for an England call-up in late August before an injury sustained at Bloomfield Road cruelly robbed him of his chance 24 hours before the squad was announced.
Fulham’s incumbent No.1 is certainly delivering once again but at present remains firmly focused on keeping his unbeaten record for Fulham intact and fulfilling his boyhood dream of playing in the Barclays Premier League whilst Mark Schwarzer competes in the 2011 Asian Cup.
“I want him [Mark Schwarzer] to do well so the best thing would be for him to reach the Final and I play the games [for Fulham] – then we’ll see what happens. You’ve got to be ready for these things and I was straight back in the thick of it at the start of the month.
“Hopefully I’ll catch the Spurs game in the FA Cup and it would be brilliant to get a full month under my belt - I can’t ask for much more than playing for the Club, even if it is by default!
“Sometimes people get a bit worried when the first choice goalkeeper goes away or is injured but I just want to show the fans that they don't need to worry. When I first came in, they seemed happy that a young English keeper had come through and Fulham had let a young lad have a go. I think they’re happy about that.”
Fulham face Stoke this weekend at the Cottage| before a trip to Merseyside next week and Stockdale reveals that playing at Anfield for Fulham would undoubtedly be one of his career highlights, having watched the Club’s keepers whilst studying his trade as a youngster.
“Liverpool’s always been one of the teams that stand out for me," Stockdale explained. "If I get to play there it will be a very proud moment for me. It would probably be one of the highlights of my career. They [Liverpool] were always a team I watched because over the years they’ve had some great goalkeepers."
Before next week’s trip to Anfield, Stockdale and company will look to complete a League double over Stoke City this weekend at the Cottage and take his impressive personal record to eight games unbeaten this season.
“They [Stoke City] play how they do and they’ve stayed in the Premier League. They’re doing well and it works for them. You know what to expect from Stoke and if you’re not good enough you won’t win, but we showed we could do it at the Britannia Stadium at the end of December.”