As Chelsea’s gamers celebrated an important Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid in Bucharest on February 23, Jamie Cumming was sat on the Stevenage group coach greater than 1,700 miles away.
An hour earlier, and in far much less glamorous environment, the Blues goalkeeper had helped his mortgage membership hold a clean sheet to assert a degree away at Port Vale. There was little or no to attach the 2 matches. At least at first.
In the weeks that adopted, the video games performed by Chelsea and Stevenage on that chilly February night gained better significance. It was that evening that each embarked on a massively spectacular run of shutouts.
“That was just a little unusual,” Cumming tells soccer.london as he drives across the M25 to coach with the League Two membership.
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Chelsea haven’t conceded a aim in additional than eleven hours. Neither had Cumming till final weekend. He had stored six consecutive clean sheets for Stevenage earlier than a deflected shot from Carlisle’s Ben Dickenson final weekend ended a run that was mirroring that of his mother or father membership.
“I didn’t truly need to make too many saves in that run so the group deserve many of the credit score for that,” the 21-year-old says modestly.
“I knew although as quickly as everybody began speaking about it, then a aim would go in that I may do nothing about.”
Cumming joined Chelsea at eight years previous, turning down curiosity from Southampton and Portsmouth within the course of. Success throughout his years within the Blues academy adopted, with a pair of FA Youth Cup winners’ medals and two Under-18 Premier League titles to his identify.
He was included sporadically within the first-team squad throughout Maurizio Sarri’s season in cost, sitting on the bench towards Fehervar, Malmo, and notably the ultimate victory over Arsenal.
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“That was a loopy expertise,” he remembers. “I’ve received a Europa League medal and whereas I perhaps didn’t do something to earn it, I’ll take it! The evening was a bit surreal to be trustworthy. There was a celebration within the lodge afterwards and everybody had a couple of drinks. It was one thing to recollect for certain.”
Cumming, together with a number of academy graduates, was promoted to the first-team squad full time forward of the 2019/20 marketing campaign. He was Chelsea’s third-choice stopper behind Kepa Arrizabalga and Willy Caballero, making the substitutes’ bench on 5 events.
While it was a season with out common soccer, Cumming believes the expertise gained coaching alongside Caballero and Kepa, and working with the goalkeeping coaches Hilario and James Russell, was massively helpful for his growth.
“Getting to coach with Willy, Kepa and the first-team group daily meant I learnt rather a lot in a short time,” Cumming explains. “Those first few months, I used to be buzzing to be travelling with the group. It was a incredible expertise.
“The teaching employees – Hilario and James Russell – as effectively had been good with me. They did every little thing they may to assist me enhance daily.”
Chelsea goalkeeping coach Henrique Hilario
(Image: James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
Hilario, who made 39 appearances for Chelsea throughout his taking part in profession, got here in for criticism final season because of the type of Kepa. However, Cumming insists the Portuguese is a “top-quality” coach.
“I feel he’s wonderful,” the academy graduate says. “He could be very technically conscious of the small particulars within the recreation and he communicates these to you rather well. I did see that final season he was getting some stick on social media however I didn’t suppose that was honest in any respect. Hilario is top of the range and deserves numerous credit score for what he does.”
The resolution for Cumming to go away Chelsea on mortgage final summer time was a mutual one. Then 20 years previous, the younger stopper knew it was important for his growth to be taking part in week in, week out.
So when the strategy got here from Stevenage in a switch window affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Cumming jumped on the probability to check himself within the Football League.
“I feel this can be a path most goalkeepers have taken,” he says. “Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson, for example, performed non-league soccer and within the decrease leagues and are actually taking part in for England. So it’s one thing you need to do as a younger goalkeeper, it’s not the identical as an outfield participant the place you leap straight into the primary group.
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“The nature of the place implies that managers will hardly ever throw in a younger goalkeeper into the group. You’ve received to exit and earn that belief. Going out and taking part in video games is the easiest way to climb up the leagues.
“Young goalkeepers, particularly these at Premier League golf equipment, may have the technical capacity so it’s extra the psychological aspect. You need to show you will be constant, to indicate a supervisor that you would be able to be trusted.”
Cumming has accomplished that. There have been errors alongside the best way, certainly one of which instantly preceded his run of clean sheets, however he believes he has vastly improved this time period.
“You’re not going to be excellent each recreation, you’ll make errors,” Cumming says. “It’s been necessary to discover ways to get well with that, to know that it’s essential put any negativity out of your thoughts.
“If you may’t simply focus on the following cross, shot, cross, you’re going to battle. I’ve had experiences the place I’ve perhaps not accomplished that immediately. Now I understand how to take care of a mistake and not let it have an effect on my efficiency.”
One facet of the mortgage expertise that Cumming hasn’t but had – a minimum of not constantly – is the strain to carry out in entrance of expectant supporters on a weekly foundation.
Jamie Cumming celebrates after Stevenage’s FA Cup win over Hull City
(Image: Andrew Kearns – CameraSport through Getty Images)
The coronavirus pandemic has meant that, barring two matches in December, Stevenage, like nearly each membership throughout the nation, have performed nearly all of their matches in largely empty stadiums.
And as Cumming admits, that has maybe made his transition into senior soccer just a little smoother.
“At academy matches, you by no means are inclined to get various hundred individuals watching,” he says. “So it’s not been massively completely different for me, I’m used to taking part in in empty stadiums. I feel it’s been much more unusual for the opposite guys within the group.
“There had been a few video games the place the followers got here again and that was an awesome expertise,” he stated. “Maybe it’s been a barely simpler step with out having that distraction however after I’m within the recreation, I don’t focus on an excessive amount of else if I’m trustworthy.
“But social media has been a great way to attach with the followers, and they’ve been actually good with me. But nothing will examine to having them behind my aim each week giving me help. So hopefully we will have that earlier than the top of the season.”
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What comes subsequent for Cumming can be determined in the summertime. Stevenage have 9 video games left to play in League Two and are considerably in limbo. The membership are all however protected and are, barring a exceptional run, unlikely to make the play-offs this season.
The Chelsea goalkeeper admits he desires to make a step up subsequent season and credit the expertise he’s had at Stevenage for that.
“I need to hold bettering, to maintain testing myself. And that can imply going out on mortgage once more, which I’m absolutely on board with as a result of the expertise I’ve had this 12 months has been nice. I feel I’m prepared to check myself at a better stage however we’ll see what occurs.”
Given that outlook, a spot within the first-team squad at Chelsea subsequent season is unlikely. So Cumming will proceed to look at on from afar as his former academy teammates and good associates proceed to thrive below Tuchel.
“I’ve seen the standard these guys have had since they had been 9 years previous so I type of anticipated that they’d all take to first-team soccer very effectively,” he says. “I feel they’ll proceed within the first group for a few years.”
The Blues’ standout performer this time period has been Mason Mount and the 22-year-old has additionally been handed the captain’s armband by each Lampard and Tuchel.
That wasn’t an alien expertise for the midfielder, nonetheless, who frequently skippered Chelsea sides and youth stage. And Cumming explains why Mount has additionally been trusted to steer groups.
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“A captain doesn’t need to be essentially the most vocal individual within the altering room,” Cumming says. “They can lead by instance and that’s the primary factor with Mason due to the best way he performs. So it isn’t a shock to me that he’s captained the primary group and it’s one thing I can see changing into a extra common factor sooner or later.”
Mount is at present away with the England squad, as is Reece James. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher in the meantime, are with the England Under-21 squad.
All are prone to be in motion this weekend. But so too will Cumming. Stevenage take on Barrow this afternoon and the younger goalkeeper has one factor on his thoughts: retaining a clean sheet.
“The run we had been on earlier than Carlisle was nice,” he says. “Now it is time to begin one other.”
