Callum Burton: From Plymouth Argyle back-up to penalty-saving hero

Callum Burton has played every minute of Plymouth Argyle's seven Papa Johns Trophy ties this season

"Being a number two goalkeeper is not an easy position to be in, especially when everybody every week talks about how good your goalkeeper is."

Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher summing up Callum Burton's dilemma at the League One high-flyers.

Less than three weeks ago the 26-year-old was the understudy to Argyle's highly rated number one Michael Cooper, playing the odd Papa Johns Trophy game here and there as he watched every minute of the Pilgrims' superb League One campaign from the bench.

But after Cooper was ruled out with a season-ending knee injury earlier this month the former Cambridge United goalkeeper has been thrust into the limelight.

Burton went on to write his name into the club's history books with a match-winning display on Tuesday, saving three successive spot-kicks to help the Pilgrims beat Cheltenham Town 3-2 on penalties to make it to the final of the Papa Johns Trophy - for Argyle's third Wembley appearance in 137 years of existence.

"He must have had times where he's felt 'I'm never going to get a chance here', but I can honestly say in the 18 months he's been here I don't think he's ever had a bad training session, ever," Schumacher said after Burton's heroics.

"He's never shown a bad attitude, he's always supported Michael through good times and bad, and he deserved his moment tonight."

'You've got years to learn how to not play'

Burton watched 29 League One games from the bench this season before finally being needed by Argyle

The reserve goalkeeper has to be one of the toughest roles in football, especially when there is an established number one - always ready for a chance, but almost always not needed.

But it appears to be a role that Burton - who signed a new contract to keep him at Home Park until the summer of 2024 last September - is happy with for now.

Having come up through Shrewsbury Town's ranks - where he played one league game - he failed to play in two seasons at Hull City, or in a loan spell at Salford City.

It was only when he went to non-league Chesterfield on loan in August 2018 that he finally became a starter, earning himself a move to Cambridge United the following summer.

He established himself as number one in the second of his two seasons there before moving to Argyle in the summer of 2021.

"If you're a goalkeeper that plays more games than you're on the bench for in your career, you've had a pretty top-drawer career - it's something that you've got to get your head around from early on," Burton told BBC Sport.

"A lot of keepers don't start playing until the ages of 22 or 23 if they're lucky, so it's completely different to outfielders, you've got four or five years to learn how to not play, but come in if you're needed."

"There's lots of things that have happened in my career that have made me mentally change my approach, and I think here it's a lot easier when the person ahead of you is doing so well because they just find their place in the team and Coops has been amazing since I've joined."

Players who 'know what their role is'

Burton's water bottle had details of where his opponents were likely to hit their penalties

Squad players are key to any successful side - they may play few games, but without them there is no back-up if things go wrong, nobody to drive up standards and nobody to make up the numbers at training.

Schumacher is quick to praise players like Burton, who have waited - or are still waiting - for their chance in the first team.

"Any successful squad has got players like that who know what their role is," he said.

"Callum's role, because of how exceptional Michael is, is to push Michael every single day in training and be on his toes - because if Michael's standards ever dropped Callum would be ready, and that's what he's been like for 18 months.

"When Michael got his injury we knew we had a good goalkeeper that can step in, but there's other players as well at the moment who are in and out of the squads and have to be patient and wait at times.

"But if everybody understands where we're at as a club and what we're trying to achieve then it's going to take the whole squad to get to finals, or get us over the line and get promotion."

And with Argyle on their way to Wembley, and eight points clear of third place in League One, promotion is very much the aim with 14 league games to play.

Rather than have a seat on the sidelines, Burton will be the number one and a key figure in what could turn out to be a historic season at Plymouth Argyle.