DEANE SHEETS

Keeper Gareth on his amazing shutout record

BY

GARETH DEANE expects his clean sheet record to be put through the ringer in today’s shootout with former club Linfield at The Showgrounds.

The Coleraine No.1 has kept a remarkable 10 shutouts in 15 league outings this season and an even more impressive 13 in his last 16 in all competitions.

The 27-year-old, who joined Oran Kearney’s men from the Blues 18 months ago, has shipped just one goal in seven home league games this campaign.

No wonder teammates have jokingly told him to invest in a deckchair, although Deane knows it’ll be no laughing matter against the reigning champions.

“As a team we have defended really well and the back four has been excellent,” he said. “I could probably count on one hand the number of saves I’ve had to make in the past month.

“The boys in front of me have been giving me a bit of stick and the likes of Lyndon Kane and Aaron Traynor have been saying, ‘Get your deckchair out’.

“They’ve also told me they’re owed the clean sheet bonus because they’ve been doing all the work, so there has been some banter flying about. Clean

sheets are nice on a personal level but three points are better and our only focus now is on the next game – and there’s no bigger game than Linfield.”

Linfield’s midweek 2-0 win over Carrick Rangers eased the Blues, chasing a fourth straight league title, up to second two points below Cliftonville with a game in hand.

“I know what it’s like being in that Linfield changing room and they know how to get results,” said Deane, who lifted the Gibson Cup twice with the Big Two giants in 2018 and 2019. “Carrick held on for 80 minutes at Windsor on Tuesday night but Linfield went on to win with two late goals. They are a good side but they also have a real know-how to win games.

“I actually think that’s something Coleraine have added in recent times. We have adopted that kind of mentality and there’s a determination there to win silverware.”

Deane, recovered from a broken thumb sustained in March, had no qualms about signing a new contract until 2025 with Coleraine last month.

“It was an easy decision,” he said. “Coleraine is a family club, I’m playing regular football and I think everyone is seeing the best of me now.”