Eddie Beach was 15 years old when he first pulled on a pair of goalkeeper gloves. “They were £10 off eBay, nothing special,” he recalls with a chuckle. “I just needed something to wear for this open trial…”
Beach had played exclusively as an outfield player until that point. He was good, even represented Southampton Schoolboys at county level, but a career in the professional game was unlikely. So when his father, James, sent over a Twitter link about an open trial for goalkeepers at Bournemouth, the teenager opted to take a chance. And it was a decision that set him on the path to Chelsea.
Beach now speaks with authority on goalkeeping. It wasn’t always this way – and we’ll get to his backstory shortly. But let’s focus on the present day and his decision to leave the comfortable surroundings of Chelsea last month and join Chelmsford City on loan.
