Red tape to red shirts - Darlow set to end long Wembley wait

It has been 13 years since red tape denied Karl Darlow a dream of playing at Wembley.

Now his kids will be in red shirts as he finally gets his chance with Wales in Thursday's friendly with England.

The Leeds United goalkeeper was a 21-year-old rookie on loan at Newport County when the then non-league side were preparing to play in the 2012 FA Trophy final.

But a paperwork error put on hold his hopes of playing under the arch, hopes that would be shelved a few more times over the years.

There was being denied the chance of a loan recall when Newcastle United got to the EFL Cup final in 2023 despite going through a goalkeeping crisis.

And he did not get off the bench as Leeds lost to Southampton in the 2024 Championship play-off final.

"I've been denied a few times now," said the now 34-year-old, who must have wondered if time was running out.

"I was only 21 with Newport but the paperwork hadn't been submitted in time.

"I'd signed on loan but it had to be registered before the previous round."

Newport argued that Darlow's move should have been given international clearance and that a delay out of their control had caused the issue – even taking an appeal to Fifa.

"I was only told for sure I couldn't play on the morning of the final," added Darlow, who had been signed on loan from Nottingham Forest.

"They were still waiting on confirmation of whether it had been done or not and the manager Justin Edinburgh was optimistic that it was going to be done.

"In the end I wasn't even allowed to be part of the matchday squad and I watched the game in the stands. Long time ago now. I'm 35 on Wednesday (8 October), so it's been a long time coming."

Having watched on as Newport lost that final to York, and been on the bench for Newcastle in a Premier League game when Tottenham played home games at the home of English football, Darlow says it will be a bucket list moment if he finally makes it onto the pitch.

Even if his early Wembley dreams were perhaps previously based on wearing the Three Lions while he did it.

As long ago as when he was at Newport, the grandson of Wales' 1958 World Cup forward Ken Leek had been eyed up by Football Association of Wales officials.

Previous approaches under former bosses Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs failed to persuade him to commit.

Darlow says it was less about leaving the door open for England and more about feeling comfortable throwing his energies into international football as he fought to make a telling impact at club level.

Now, established as Leeds' first-choice in the top-flight and with sights set on a World Cup following in family footsteps, Darlow says he is glad he followed his instinct after an internet meeting with Craig Bellamy.

"As a kid, Premier League football and international football are things you want to tick off in your career," Darlow said, as he looks to win his ninth cap following his debut against Montenegro in September 2024.

"The decisions I've made throughout my career have been where I felt that I can fully commit to things.

"It got to this stage where I had the conversation with the manager on Zoom that it was something that really got me going and really motivated to say, 'Right, I'm going to come into this and be 100 per cent'.

Having a young family is a further motivation.

"It's something that I want my kids to look up to and be proud of that I've played international football, he added.

"I know it took a long time to get here but the fact is my kids are going to look back and say 'My dad played for Wales' and that's a proud moment.

"They haven't got any Welsh in them but they are in red Welsh shirts constantly and know all the songs.

"All the family will be there. It's a proud moment and I'm going to give everything for this country to make sure that we come up with a positive result on Thursday."