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Chelsea goalkeeper Kieron Lambourne has been amazed by the facilities and support he and his new team-mates have received since joining the West London club at the start of the season.
The 24-year-old started his footballing journey at the age of 15 at Oxford, before he made the switch to Peterborough United where he began to play in goals.
After moving to Portsmouth University at 18 he joined Portsmouth, before going back to Peterborough in 2021.
He and a few others made the move from Peterborough to Chelsea ahead of the new campaign, which is already in full swing, and is delighted with how everything is going.
“My time at Chelsea has been amazing so far,” he said.
“To train at Cobham and use the amazing facilities plus the enthusiastic coaches has been quality. As a team, we're certainly progressing and we'll only get better the more we play together.
“The opportunity for juniors to train and link up with the first team is the most exciting part of the Chelsea project, and for them to have the opportunity to access the facilities, train with older players and form those relationships it’s just huge for them.”
Lambourne made his England debut at the 2018 World Cup against Poland and is excited at getting the chance to be involved with the side once again this season.
There’s some strong opposition around that all want to wear that number one jersey for their country, but Lambourne is just grateful he’s had that honour.
He said: “The spirit and friendships that I’ve made in the England squad has made amputee football so enjoyable.
“As a kid it's what you dream of, being able to play football for England, and it's an unbelievable opportunity to be a part of.
“This year is another important year for us, being able to test ourselves against the best in Europe in the Nations League, and also step up our preparations for Euro 2024 too.”
Switching his focus back to club football, Lambourne is out looking for more trophies, after tasting success in the 2019-20 season - winning the Championship and League Cup with Portsmouth.
Despite not picking up any silverware with Peterborough last campaign, he’s hoping his new side can clinch the league trophy.
We've started steadily and we're improving with the more time we spend on the training pitch,” the shot-stopper said.
“The core of the team have moved over from Peterborough and we've had a few new quality additions to the squad, but we're gelling nicely.
“Our last win against Everton in the EAFA Cup in the third versus fourth place play-off gave everyone a confidence boost, and the aim for the next fixtures is to obviously win, but personally I'd love to get a clean sheet.”
The next round of EAFA League fixtures take place this weekend, with Chelsea still searching for their first win of the season following defeats to Arsenal and Everton in their opening two matches.
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