Wayne Hennessey: Wales goalkeeper should target 150 caps, says legend Neville Southall

Wales great Neville Southall has urged Wayne Hennessey to set his sights on an astonishing 150 caps for his country.

Burnley goalkeeper Hennessey, 35, will become Wales' third male centurion in Tuesday's friendly against the Czech Republic at the Cardiff City Stadium.

For many years Southall was Wales' record cap holder with his haul of 92.

But in a message to Hennessey, former Everton keeper Southall said: "Well done, mate, there is another 50 in the bank if you want to try."

Speaking to BBC Sport Wales, Southall added: "There is no point sitting here and saying 'I have 100' and finishing.

"You have to push on and get as many as you can because I know you can sit at home and have loads of memories. So you may as well just crack on."

Southall coached Hennessey at Wales under-19 level and vividly remembers a tournament game when he earmarked the young keeper's potential.

"There were about three minutes to go before the end of the game. He'd had nothing to do all game and somebody hit a shot towards the top corner," he said.

"He managed to get across and make a great save to tip it over the bar. I thought no goalkeeper I have seen so far managed to keep his concentration as well as that.

"From that day on, I thought he had a chance of making it because of the ability to get to the top corner, keep his concentration and the talent."

Hennessey will become the sixth Welsh footballer to achieve the century milestone. He shared his debut in 2007 with fellow squad member Chris Gunter, who leads the way for men with 106, while Gareth Bale chalked up his 101st in last Thursday's memorable 2-1 World Cup play-off semi-final victory over Austria.

Three Welsh women - Jess Fishlock, Loren Dykes and Sophie Ingle - have also passed the 100 mark.

In recent years, Danny Ward has been preferred to Hennessey but the Leicester keeper is currently sidelined with a knee injury. So Bangor-born Hennessey returned to the starting line-up against Austria - his first competitive Welsh start since he was injured against Bulgaria in October 2020.

Since his summer switch from Crystal Palace to Burnley, Hennessey has played just three times for the Premier League strugglers and has made only nine club appearances in the last three seasons.

"People don't understand how much incredible mental strength it takes to come from a situation like that," said Southall.

"If you are playing regularly from Championship down to League Two then it's a massive step for you anyway - mentally and physically, because it is played a lot differently.

"Wayne is used to training with great players every day, so that is a bonus for him, so his level will not drop in that sense, what you do miss is the sharpness of match stuff.

"But he seems to have coped I think because of his character. He is not over excitable, he is a nice, calm player. You can see that in his play.

"I think maybe a different type of personality would have struggled, but he seems to get his head together."

Southall also believes Wales' club spirit helps.

"Everybody wants to turn up , everybody wants to play, everybody is included in everything.

"I suppose with the new kids coming in, it freshens up the squad up all the time and it has made for a really good club atmosphere.

"You can see the players, they are all together, they are all happy and Rob Page [manager] has done a great job in the circumstances. With Kit Symons [assistant manager] and Tony Roberts [goalkeeping coach] they have produced a great atmosphere for them to thrive in. It's a testament to how Welsh football has grown."

Southall played for Wales between 1982 and 1997 and is regarded as one of the best of his generation. Some would say eccentricity is a key element of any goalkeeper but Southall, who played a record 751 times for Everton, disagrees.

"I look at it in a different way, because the people in front of you are just bonkers," he said.

"Let's be honest, I should never have to do anything in the game and nor should Wayne. We just cover everybody's mistakes.

"I suppose we are just like a PR man for a Prime Minister. We cover up all the gaffes, all the mistakes if we are any good. If not we get kicked out of a job.

"Last line of defence and also first line of attack. I think it's the best position on the field because you do live and die on your decisions.

"You have to be honest with yourself and sometimes that is really difficult."

Southall played into his forties and sees no reason why Hennessey should not continue for a good while yet, providing he has the trust of managers and can see off opposition for the position.

"If you look at him he could play till he is 40 because, let's be honest, he has not played that many games has he? His body must be in decent nick," said Southall.

"I think he could go on. I would like to see him go somewhere and just settle down and play a lot of games, because when you get to that age it is about enjoyment.

"It would be lovely to see him play at Cardiff or Swansea - playing for a Welsh side - just to finish off his career and maybe help one of them get promotion."

But whatever the long-term future, Southall is full of admiration for Hennessey's achievement in reaching 100 caps.

"I played in a really good team but we did not quite get to any major tournament," he said.

"The difference between me and Wayne is he has been lucky enough to get to major tournaments and hopefully the next one will be even better for him.

"To get to 100 caps takes some doing. People say it's a small country but to get to 100 caps you have to be a great player. No mugs get 100 caps."