Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stats stack for rookie keeper as Harry Sharp continues to impress
HARRY Sharp is all set for his sixth Dundee appearance this weekend as the Dark Blues head to St Mirren.
The 21-year-old has spent the entire season as third-choice stopper behind the more experienced pair Adam Legzdins and Ian Lawlor.
But with injury and illness issues befalling Legzdins and Lawlor, Sharp is expected to take the gloves once more in Paisley this weekend.
That will be music to the ears of some Dundee fans who were keen to see more of the young goalie after an impressive trio of performances last month.
His reputation was enhanced even further last weekend against hometown team Aberdeen with an assured display, hailed by boss McGhee.
Lawlor’s illness is expected to keep him out this weekend, giving Sharp the chance to impress.
What do the stats tell us about Dundee’s young goalie?
Because Sharp has only made a handful of appearances it would be unfair to compare the keepers across the season.
But taking Sharp v Aberdeen in contrast to Lawlor v St Johnstone the youngster comes out on top, just about.
Both conceded once, though Lawlor shares some of the blame for Shaun Rooney’s headed goal while Sharp had little chance with Lewis Ferguson’s penalty.
The rookie faced one more shot than Lawlor but also made one more save, edging the Goals Prevented ratio 0.36 to 0.08 and saving 80% of shots faced compared to Lawlor’s 75%.
That might not tell us a huge amount but Sharp’s ability with the ball at his feet outshone Lawlor considerably.
He completed 17 of his 30 passes (57%), compared to Lawlor’s seven of 23 attempts (30%). Both outdid Legzdins’ last outing against Ross County (20%) in that regard, too.
Sharp’s performance in Aberdeen displayed an assured confidence that belied his years and experience.
He rarely looked uncomfortable, aside from Ferguson’s attempt to catch him out from kick-off.
High balls into the area were collected and he dealt with tricky deflected shots in the first-half with authority.
A second-half save from Christian Ramirez was a super one before he was tasked with saving the spot-kick later on.
That spoiled his clean sheet but the “quiet confidence” as his manager put it spreads throughout the defence.
That’s not something that can always be said about Lawlor in recent weeks, though he has made a number of good saves.
At times he’s looked shaky with the ball at his feet while moments like the goal conceded at Dundee United can’t be ignored.
That can also spread throughout a defence if there isn’t the same confidence in the man behind them.
Manager McGhee, however, has stated Lawlor will be his No 1 if fit for the remaining games.
Sharp will have given him food for thought, though he may still go with the experienced man.
Whoever gets the nod, the early signs are Dundee have a keeper with a bright future in Sharp.