Our goal keeping situation needs to be looked at again in the close season. Both Bart and Dean are adequate but not outstanding and this is part of our weakness at the back.
A good keeper goes along way to putting points on the board and a brilliant one like Peter Schmeichel or say Edwin van der Star, can be the difference between winning trophies and falling short.
Now we all know that in our current position we will struggle to get the very best but I think we can do a lot better than average, which is where we are at right now.
I don’t want to be disrespectful to either Dean or Bart but neither fill me much confidence and both seem to have a mistake in them almost every game it seems.
It is of course the one position where mistakes are noticed and often turn out to be very costly so that is why I think it is an area that still needs to be addressed by the management team.
I think we may have to go down the leagues to find a good one – although if Shay Given became available and the rumour is he might be, he would still be worth signing in the twilight of his career if we could afford him that is?
I have been very impressed with the Southend keeper Daniel Bentley and although he is only 21 he looks to be a superb prospect.
He was instrumental in getting The Shrimpers promoted with a couple of outstanding penalty saves as they beat Wycombe Wanderers 7-6 in the shoot-out to win the League Two play-off final at Wembley.
There are good keepers further down the leagues without a shadow of a doubt and when you look back at the best keepers we have had in our Town history, one thing they all had in common was their agility.
From Roy Bailey To Richard Wright they have shared this ability to anticipate impending danger with superb reflexes.
Paul Cooper was not the tallest but he was one of the bravest and the same goes for Laurie Sivell.
The combination of speed of thought and speed of action can not normally be coached because anticipation is the hallmark of every great keeper.
Having a good stopper around will only enhance the qualities of the others vying for that number one shirt because competition is a healthy business – especially so when there is only one place up for grabs!
