England star reveals why fans have massive part to play at the World Cup

The Everton keeper was beaten twice during a rollercoaster first half on Wednesday night as Croatia cancelled out goals from skipper Harry Kane.

But after a half-time rocket from boss Thomas Tuchel, England roared into life to secure a 4-2 victory in their opening Group L game in Dallas.

And with Ghana up next in Boston, 32-year-old Pickford believes the travelling fans will have an even bigger role to play as the tournament progresses.

Speaking on the Lions’ Den, he said: “We conceded two goals, which is not like us, but we knew we had enough in the tank and in the second half we got going and dominated.

"We buzz off it [the support]. It gives us that added edge, that atmosphere — we all thrive off it.

“I think it’s only going to get better as well. Over the next two games, we’ll see a lot more numbers coming over.

“We all love it. We’re all passionate people and we know English fans are passionate. It drives us.

“It doesn’t go unnoticed. But we’ve got to turn up for them to enjoy the experience even more.”

After Jude Bellingham put England back in front within minutes of the restart, Tuchel’s men could have sat back and tried to protect the lead.

But the German ensured they kept pushing — and the introduction of attacking trio Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers highlighted his intentions.

With just five minutes left in normal time, Rashford wrapped up the victory with a fine finish to send the fans in the stands and at home wild.

Not surprisingly, Pickford firmly believes that strength in depth is a huge positive as England look to end 60 years of hurt.

He added: “It’s great. We’ve got attacking options coming on.

“You see the likes of Djed Spence coming on — defensively we can break it up with Reece [James] going into midfield. We’ve got variation all over the pitch.

“For me, it’s refreshing. We know what we can do with and without the ball. But I think for the opposition it’s a killer.

“You see the types of ability coming on the pitch off the bench. it’s just going to [force them to] drop the shoulders and take a deep breath.

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“But that’s why we’re here, that’s why the manager has picked the 26 he’s picked and everyone is ready on the training pitch.

“Only 11 can start but that’s the impact we can have on the pitch.”

If England are to go all the way in North America, England’s supersubs appear destined to be as important as Tuchel’s starters. And Pickford clearly believes the fans also have a huge part to play.

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