Source: Daily_Mail
England Under 21 keeper Frankie Fielding driven on by anguish
ShareEngland Under-21 goalkeeper Frankie Fielding has revealed how he is being driven to succeed by the pain of losing his father days before he was due to play in front of him professionally for the first time.[LNB]Fielding's father, also called Frank, died from a heart attack three and a half years ago as he prepared to return to the UK from his home in Malaysia.[LNB]Frank snr had arranged to watch Fielding play for Wycombe that same week, with his son having made his professional debut while on loan from Blackburn just over two months earlier.[LNB] Hands on: Fielding, with a tribute tattoo on his arm, is out to make his late Dad proud[LNB]Missing the chance to play in front of his father still hurts Fielding to this day and the Derby keeper is determined to make his career something which Frank snr would have been proud of.[LNB]'The thing that pees me off is that the week he died, he was supposed to come home and see me play for Wycombe,' said 23-year-old Fielding, who has made himself England's undisputed number one at this month's European Under-21 Championship in Denmark.[LNB]'I'd like to think my dad would be proud of me.'[LNB]Frank snr had gone to work in Kuala Lumpur when Fielding was 11 in order to expand the textile business he had begun in Blackburn.[LNB]His sons were given the option of moving with him but Fielding decided to stay at home and pursue his own dream of becoming a professional footballer.[LNB] Driven on: Fielding is determined to succeed[LNB]Fielding, who had joined Blackburn's academy at the age of eight, said: 'My dad got a business opportunity to go to have his own factory in Malaysia.[LNB]'He asked if I wanted to go and my other brothers.[LNB]'My mum wasn't keen on us to go and I didn't even know where Malaysia was on the map at the time.[LNB]'My mum took me to training. She did everything for me.[LNB]'My dad went out there to work and put food on the table for us and he sent most of his money home.'[LNB]Recalling when he learnt of his father's death, Fielding said: 'He used to ring home on a Sunday. I was on loan at Wycombe at the time and we couldn't get hold of him all day.[LNB]'My cousin's boyfriend drove over from Maidenhead and told me my dad had had a heart attack and died.'[LNB]Fielding is grateful to those who helped him get over Frank snr's death, including Rovers' club chaplain Ken Howells and his girlfriend Holly, who lost her own father in the same year.[LNB]'We met each other and just clicked because of it,' said Fielding.[LNB]'We are just best friends and the reason why we get on so well is because we have been through the same situation.[LNB]'When it first happened, it drove me on but time is a healer.[LNB]'I speak to certain people and the rev at Blackburn takes a lot of credit for the state of mind I am in now.[LNB]'He was spot on, the reverend. It is not in my mind all the time any more.'[LNB]Whenever he does need to think of his father, Fielding only need look at the tattoo on his left forearm, which bears the same message as Frank snr's gravestone: 'Loved too much to be forgotten'.[LNB]His goalkeeping gloves are also inscribed with the name 'Frank jnr', the same gloves with which he produced a wonder save to keep England in Sunday's 1-1 European Under-21 Championship draw against Spain.[LNB] Next step: Fielding hopes to help England to victory against Ukraine after their opening game draw with Spain[LNB]Trailing 1-0 and being completely outplayed, Stuart Pearce's side would have been out of the game but for Fielding's heroics.[LNB]'If you want to put it that way, you can - I just tried to do my best,' said Fielding.[LNB]'I'm just delighted for the lads. For me at the end, it felt like a win.'[LNB]Having seen Joe Hart's performances at the last European Under-21 Championship propel him into the senior England squad, Fielding knows this month's tournament could provide his own big break.[LNB]He has already had one memorable taste of what that could be like back in August, when a goalkeeping crisis saw him called into the senior set-up for the friendly against Hungary.[LNB]Fielding, who spent most of this season on loan at Derby before joining them permanently last month, said: 'The likes of Wayne Rooney came over and said, "Hello, I'm Wayne".[LNB]'I said, "I know who you are pal, I've seen you on the telly!"'[LNB] Pearce puts faith in attack as England aim to lay down marker against UkrainePearce tells critics to lay off Under 21 stars after slow start against SpainEngland Under 21 star Walker looking to impress Capello in Denmark [LNB] Explore more:People: Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney, Stuart Pearce Places: Spain, Denmark, Hungary, Malaysia, United Kingdom
