The Saints are merely one game away from equalling the club’s personal clean sheet record. The side will face Chelsea on Saturday and if they are to extend their run of six clean sheets in as many games, it is not going to be an easy task against the reigning champions.
The Blues are currently also in a purple patch of form in the league under new interim boss Guus Hiddink, as they have failed to lose in the Premier League since his arrival in place of the now-departed Jose Mourinho.
The record is currently held by Saints ‘keeper Paul Jones, who in 2001 went on a remarkable run of seven matches without conceding a single goal. The Welshman has recently praised the Southampton side, claiming that if they do match his outstanding record, they will feel “indestructible”:
These boys will be full of it, they will feel indestructible. If it happens, they will fully deserve it.
In their last outing, the side played out a 1-0 victory away to Swansea, which was won as a result of a header from the in-form Saints forward Shane Long with just over 20 minutes left to play, which helped Ronald Koeman’s men to move into the top six of the Premier League thanks to Norwich holding now-seventh placed West Ham to a draw.
However, despite the fact every player has played their part in this astounding run the side has been on, there is one man in particular who has resembled a brick wall at the back for the Saints. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster, not long returned from a serious knee injury, has not conceded a goal since last march when Diego Costa opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 1-1 draw. The former Celtic man has received much support and appraisal from his teammates and other figures amongst the footballing world and rightly so.
Midfielder and team-mate of Forster, Oriol Romeu, has expressed his opinion that the ‘keeper has to be an obvious choice for England boss Roy Hodgson to take with him to France for the Euro’s in the summer:
Fraser now is on top form. He is one of the best in the Premier League and he is one of the best keepers in Europe right now.
Romeu is certainly not the only one with such opinions, as I am sure every Saints fan is backing Forster to not only equal Paul Jones’ record, but also to feature in this year’s European Championships.
Many Saints fans will be at St Mary’s on the 27 February to see if this resilient Southampton side can hold the Chelsea striking force at bay; let’s hope they can.
