Matt Murray is more interested in keeping his place in the Wolverhampton Wanderers team than he is in making the England squad, but it looks as though his options are going to increase as time goes on.
The goalkeeper, whose career has been blighted by injuries, produced a superlative display to ensure a 1-1 draw away to Birmingham City last Saturday.
His performance led many, including his manager and his opposing goalkeeper, to suggest that Murray has the ability to play for England. His talent was obvious when he helped Wolves to win the First Division play-off final against Sheffield United in May 2003 and now, at last, he is fulfilling that potential.
He points out that this is only his second season in the first team, which is a good way of responding to questions about his international credentials. He is humble, too; humble enough to play down his own achievements.
"I thought I did OK in the game [against Birmingham]," he said. "I got a fingertip on the goal but couldn't quite reach it, I'm not quite big enough. Another inch or so and I'd have been all right.
"It was great when Jody [Craddock] popped up with that last-minute goal. I thought we all showed a lot of fight which maybe we've not been doing away from home.
"For us to end their run and our own bad run was a good day's work. I'm really enjoying my football and these are the sort of games you want to play in.
"I feel I made a few more saves and the lads also chipped in with a lot of good blocks. Maybe if we'd have lost 1-0 it wouldn't really have mattered but to get an equaliser makes it a good team performance.
"It was nice because things I'd worked on in training with Bobby [Mimms] and TC [Terry Connor] and the gaffer and Taff [Ian Evans] came off.
"For example, the cutback at Hull last week from which they scored, I'd been working on that all week and managed to block Bendtner's cutback when it came in and save the second one as well. Things like that are really nice when they do come off."
There is a precedent for Football League goalkeepers making the jump to the England squad. One-time Racing Club Warwick keeper Ben Foster made it last season while with Watford.
