Re: Claremont Ramblings

By John Rogers30/4/2021 09:38Fri Apr 30 09:38:15 2021In response to Claremont Ramblings

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I'm not sure what I was thinking with the 1960 Amateur Cup Final - apologies, I'll get that amended! And we'll be caught up with the series over the weekend.

In terms of goalkeepers, it's a shame that Northy has moved on. I think we saw glimpses of his ability - he was faultless in the LSC Final against Brentford - but think he was hampered a bit by injuries and niggles.

We've been blessed with some good ones over the years. I began watching regularly in 1995/6 and think Scott Ashcroft, who was with us at the end of that campaign, could have been one of the very best. He produced two or three performances that were amongst the best I've ever seen.

Outside of that, Gary obviously ranks very highly, as does Richard Wilmot. David Hook was an astonishingly good shot-stopper but a little weaker in terms of his command of the box whilst Dave King was the opposite.

Of the last 10-15 years I think Tom Lovelock was by some way the most consistent for me. I can only remember one goal he conceded where I thought he'd dropped a bit of a clanger, at home to Brightlingsea Regent. He was absolutely key to us not only staying up in 16/17 but also our success the following campaign.

It's a crying shame that Rihards is back in Latvia as he would be perfect for the number 1 role now. He noticeably grew in stature as his time between the sticks went on and excelled in that 6-match winning run.

The one I would add to the list is Danny Boness. I know he struggled as the season went on in 2018/19. I don't think the fact that he was continually playing behind a different back-four every week helped his confidence. However, in the opening months of the season he won us some points on his own that were vital in the final reckoning with some magnificent performances.