'I had to keep up with the kids': Portsmouth and ex-Wolves man on vital decision which transformed his career

Will Norris admits fears over footballing ‘longevity’ drove him to transform his game.

Now the 30-year-old is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in League One with the ball at his feet.

The Pompey man’s impressive distribution skills and calmness in possession have been pivotal to the playing style of a team currently six points clear at the top of League One.

Remarkably, Norris insists his kicking skills have never been a natural talent, while he didn’t play out on pitch at any time in his youth.

Instead it’s an ability honed in his mid-20s at Wolves and then Burnley through a desire to fit into the modern game after seeing the likes of England’s Joe Hart fall away.

Norris told The News: ‘My kicking wasn’t necessarily as comfortable as it is now. Moving from Cambridge United to Wolves was the point where I needed to develop that side of my game because the higher you go, the more well-rounded you need to be.

‘To give myself half a chance in the game at the minute, I realised it was something which needed to improve - and I worked hard at it.

‘Young lads coming through are so comfortable on the ball. I am 30 now, so to have a bit of longevity you need to keep up with the kids.

‘You look at Joe Hart, who was moved on from Manchester City because they wanted someone that could play. He’s a very capable goalie with his feet, I would imagine, but that was a change in direction.

‘Rightly he can feel a bit hard done by, he’s a top-end goalie, but it wasn’t what they were looking for at the time. That’s just an example, things can change so quickly in football.

‘In my case, if you move somewhere, you want to stay there, and I feel you need as much as possible in your armoury to ensure that.

‘Should a manager decide “We don’t want someone who can kick it so far, we need someone who can play”, that is not the time to suddenly learn it. You need to learn it before you’re actually asked.

‘Training with those lads at Wolves dragged it out of me almost, you have to be better on the ball otherwise you just get moved on, that’s it.

‘While there, we didn’t necessarily do loads of that with the goalkeeping coach, you had to manage as you go along. My exposure would be in the boxes with the lads, you must get it up to the standards and adapt.’

Aside from his distribution talents, Norris is also proving himself to be an excellent shot-stopper for the Blues.

And with 16 goals conceded in 20 League One matches - the joint-best in the division - Pompey’s defence continue to provide the backbone to their promotion charge.

He added: ‘At Burnley, it was more hitting different areas with quality, not necessarily the short passing. Then, when Vincent Kompany came in, it was more short passing, getting the ball through the thirds.

‘That’s where I did most of the developing, learning, understanding the tactics and positioning. Who can receive it, when they can receive it, almost not just passing it for the sake of it, moving it into areas.

‘At Pompey, I’m lucky with the quality I’ve got in front of me that I can give it to someone knowing that they are going to be comfortable and I’m going to get a good pass back.'