Wales and Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow wants to end Wembley’s heartache against England, which he once wanted to represent.
Leeds Stopper was denied twice to perform on red tape under Wembley Arch in Newport in 2012 in Newcastle’s 2023 Carabao Cup Final.
Darlow was on loan from Nottingham Forest when he missed Newport’s FA Trophy Final Final with York. The asylum failed to sign the then 21-year-old before the international clearance deadline, then lost the appeal, claiming that the paperwork was not their fault.
More than a decade later, Newcastle couldn’t remember Darrow from Hull’s loan spell after Nick Pope was removed from Wembley’s date against Manchester United.
“I was a bit unhappy, but I’m happy to be able to check it out (Wembley) at the end of the list,” Darlow said Thursday ahead of Wales’ friendship with the UK.
“Newport’s was the morning of the finals. They were still waiting for confirmation. Manager Justin Edinburgh was optimistic.
“In the end, I wasn’t even allowed to be part of the matchday team and watched the game in the stands. I was 35 on Wednesday, so it’s been a while since I last saw the game.
“It’s one of the largest and best stadiums in the world. As a footballer, you want to play in the largest stadium and test yourself at that level.”
Darlow’s grandfather, Ken Leek, was a member of the 1958 Welsh World Cup team and reached the quarterfinals of the competition.
Darrow once wanted to represent England more than Wales.
However, Darlow was born in Northampton and grew up hoping to represent Britain, and in a previous interview he said “it’s not going to be a big success.”
Rejecting previous attempts from the Welsh manager, Craig Bellamy tried to get him on board, persuading him to join last year, and he has since established himself as the number one goalkeeper, earning eight caps.
He states:
“I have a young family now, and my two kids are always wearing Welsh shirts. They both love it and sing.
“They’ll turn around and say, ‘My dad played for Wales,’ and that’s what makes me proud. ”
Darrow enters an international break – Wales will also play a key World Cup qualifier against Belgium in Cardiff on Monday – starting Leeds’ final four Premier League matches.
He took over the gloves from the injured Lucas Peri, and one of his stops in Fulham was nominated for the Premier League Monthly Save Award in September.
“If you drip games and games here, that’s tough,” Darlow said.
“You like to get into the rhythm of playing a week, get out for a week and know you can prepare properly for all the games.
“It’s a massive plus that I’m playing a series of games right now.”
