Jason Steele is hoping to maintain his remarkable clean sheet record when Albion face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.
The 30-year-old has had five successive shut-outs going back to last season, including two in the wins over Portsmouth and Preston which have set up Wednesday’s fourth round tie with United at the Amex.
Typically, Steele prefers to praise the players in front of him, but head coach Graham Potter recognises the important role he has played in his own right and as back-up to Maty Ryan.
Asked about his run of clean sheets, Steele said, “A lot of that is down to the ten players and subs in front of me. We have worked our backsides off in the two games in the Carabao Cup so far to keep clean sheets and that shows a strong mentality.
“No matter which side gets picked, we seem to be in a good place as a squad at the moment and long may that continue.
“I’ve always believed that if there is a good spirit in your squad, that’s half the battle won. We all believe in each other and we believe in the manager and how he wants us to play. I think he believes in us as well. We’ve got all those things and I think we are a good side.”
Steele joined Albion from Sunderland in 2018, having clocked up more than 300 appearances in a career including spells with Middlesbrough, Northampton and Blackburn Rovers.
“He's been fantastic around the group,” said Potter. He's trained well every day and improved a lot.
“He's a team player, a team guy. Even when he wasn't involved with us he was always supporting the lads, so I've got huge respect for him.
“I'm just really pleased that the last couple of cup games we've got to see what he is about as a goalkeeper. He's got some fantastic attributes. You can see why he was highly rated when he was younger and why we believe in him. He's providing great support for Maty.”