Chris Woods - International Career

International Career

In the international fold, Woods was once again Shilton's back-up in the England team, but he was given his debut in a friendly against the USA in Los Angeles on 16 June 1985, when still a Norwich City player. He was rarely left out of an England squad again over the next five years.

Woods went to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico as Shilton's potential replacement; he was not required to play and England exited in the quarter-finals.

While at Rangers, Woods received his fifth England cap - and his second start - in a 2–0 win over Yugoslavia at Wembley which inched England further towards qualification for the 1988 European Championships. Woods came on as a substitute for Shilton twice in 1987; and started two matches - a European Championships qualifier against Turkey and a goalless draw against Scotland at Hampden Park in the Rous Cup. Two more starts followed in the subsequent season prior to the European Championships in Germany.

England suffered two embarrassing defeats in the opening brace of group games at the 1988 European Championships, and therefore Robson could afford to rest Shilton for the third and final group match, against the USSR, which had been rendered meaningless. Woods therefore played his first match in a competitive finals - his 13th in total - conceding three times.

By now, another goalkeeper had emerged as a potential successor to the ageing Shilton, with QPR's David Seaman receiving a first cap in a draw against Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. However, Woods was still regarded by Robson as his primary understudy for Shilton, who had, by now, earned his 100th cap and was about to break Bobby Moore's record of 108. Also on the scene was Dave Beasant, who won two caps as a sub as Robson checked out other goalkeepers, but Woods remained Robson's first choice if ever Shilton was unable to play. As all this went on, England qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

Robson chose Woods and Seaman as Shilton's understudies in the initial squad, but days before a hand injury to David Seaman forced Bobby Robson to drop Seaman and replace him with Beasant. England went to the semi-finals, where they lost on penalties to West Germany.

There is an urban myth that Robson had considered substituting Shilton, prior to the penalty shootout which eliminated England, in favour of Beasant (a renowned penalty stopper), but decided against it. However, in 1990, the rules governing substitutes stated that five substitutes (normally including one goalkeeper) had to be nominated from among a team's reserve players - with only two being allowed to come on. Woods was the only nominated goalkeeper among England's five substitutes - so there would not have been any question of Beasant replacing Shilton. (This rule was changed for the 1994 World Cup, when any player in the 22-man squad not named in the starting XI was eligible to come on as substitute).

Woods did not play in the World Cup, Robson chose to keep Shilton in the side for his 125th and final cap for England in the third place play-off match against Italy after their semi-final defeat. Robson also quit afterwards and successor Graham Taylor instantly installed Woods as his number one.

By summer 1991, Woods had accumulated 24 caps as England made steady progress through their qualification for the 1992 European Championships.

He went to the 1992 European Championships as England's first choice keeper and kept clean sheets in his first two matches. Unfortunately, England couldn't score in either so victory was crucial against hosts Sweden in the last group match. Sweden won 2–1, however, so England were eliminated and Woods had suffered major disappointment in his first (and ultimately his only) tournament as England's number one keeper.

He stayed in the side the following year as England stuttered in their qualification campaign for the 1994 World Cup, losing a crucial match in Oslo against Norway in the process. Then, after a bad defeat against the USA in Boston during a summer tour in 1993, Taylor dropped Woods and, after trying two other keepers, installed Seaman in the side. Ironically, his 43-cap international career ended where it began - with a game against the USA.