Kirkland wants to be number one

THE England goalkeeper’s jersey might have become football’s answer to the sackcloth once worn by erring devotees, but Chris Kirkland believes he has already paid for his sins.

The Wigan goalkeeper, having endured a troubled start to the season with club and country, is now determined to become his country’s number one under new manager Fabio Capello.

With Spurs’ out-of-favour goalkeeper Paul Robinson also having fallen from grace at international level, the position is up for grabs and Kirkland is vying with David James at Portsmouth and Aston Villa’s Scott Carson for the starting role against Switzerland at Wembley in Capello’s first match in charge on Wednesday.