Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford felt cup role would be 'much harder' as shot-stopper looks to make impact against Southampton in FA Cup

The 23-year-old has stepped up when called upon, making crucial saves and proving his worth, most notably in last month's final against Arsenal.

Trafford denied Kai Havertz before blocking Bukayo Saka twice in an impressive showing at Wembley, as City overcame their Premier League title rivals with a 2-0 victory.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Championship high-flyers Southampton, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, Trafford said: ”I thought it would be a lot harder, like stepping in, because I've never experienced it before.

"I didn't know what to expect, coming in and then not having a game for two, three, one week, whatever it is.

”Until January it was quite hard because it was like, I think it was one game in December, I got two because I got the Champions League in November. But from the turn of the year, the games have been better.”

Trafford’s opportunities have largely come in cup competitions since his £30 million return to the Etihad last summer, with the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma limiting his league involvement.

Despite the competition for the No. 1 jersey, Trafford says the pair have built a strong relationship.

”Yeah, we have a great relationship, he's a great lad, he's friendly, he's lovely, and we both get along really well, we're good mates," Trafford said.

The former Burnley goalkeeper has mainly featured in domestic cup ties, alongside a single UEFA Champions League appearance, but has made the most of his chances.

He pointed to City’s FA Cup fifth-round win over Salford as a turning point, making two crucial saves at 1-0 to help his side progress.

Since then, fixtures have come more regularly, with City beating Newcastle United at St James’ Park and then Liverpool to reach the semi-finals.

”The games have come a lot quicker and they've all obviously been against good, good teams - Newcastle at St. James’ is tough,” said Trafford.

Reflecting on his early triple save in the Carabao Cup final, Trafford added: ”It all obviously happens really quick, so you can't really process it. It was obviously a big, big moment in the game because it's early on, there's three saves and it was a nice start to the game for me.

"I think I had one action before this, which was a long free-kick. So yeah, it was, it was really good and it obviously proved to be a good moment in the game.”

A product of the club’s youth academy, Trafford left City for newly-promoted Burnley in the summer of 2023 having failed to make a Premier League appearance, with Ederson holding the No. 1 shirt.

The Clarets suffered relegation from the Premier League under manager Vincent Kompany.

”Looking back, yeah, it was brave, it might have been naive in a way because you go into a promoted club, and I didn't understand how hard it is for promoted clubs to stay up in the league,” said Trafford.

”At the time I believed we were going to stay up, but unfortunately we didn't, and it could have easily not gone well for me. But I always believed in myself, and I believed that we were going to stay up. I believed that it was always going to work out for me, and luckily it has."

However, Trafford returned to City on a five-year deal, convinced it was meant to be.

”As a goalie it's tough because things have to align, and I didn't know whether it was going to align. But I always believed that I'd be back," he said.

At City, Trafford quickly saw the level required to succeed, particularly working alongside senior goalkeepers like Ederson.

”He was incredible, to be fair to him. His ability on the ball, it's something you don't really understand until you see it live. It's like a pro golfer's swing. You don't understand how good it is until you see it. It sounds different. Yeah, it sounds different, the way he strikes, how far he can hit it off such a short distance.

”Before going up with him, my whole image of Ederson was like what everyone else is, just watching him on telly. So having watched him up close, he was like, yeah, this guy's a really good goalie.”

Looking ahead, Trafford hopes he can end the season with the FA Cup trophy and help the club erase the memory of last year's defeat in the final to Crystal Palace.

”Yeah, that's the aim. Hopefully we can win against Southampton. We believe that we're going to win and that's our aim.”

The Emirates FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Southampton will take place on Saturday, April 25 at Wembley Stadium.

Kick-off is at 17:15 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max starting from 16:00.

Manchester City v Southampton will be live on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max.

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