Being a goalkeeper is often a thankless task. They are the last line of defence, being called upon to rectify the mistakes of others but having no one to rescue them from their own errors.
Having a top stopper can be the difference between success and failure. As League Two heads towards a finale, who is the number one man between the sticks?
We start by looking at the number of clean sheets the best-performing goalkeepers have kept so far this season (minimum 30 appearances).
Gillingham’s Jake Turner (11), and Christy Pym of Mansfield Town (13) begin the top five list and are joined by Paul Farman of Barrow and Stockport County’s Ben Hinchcliffe (both 14). It is AFC Wimbledon’s first-choice keeper Alex Bass who tops the charts with 15 shutouts so far this season.
Those same five names reappear when goals conceded per 90 minutes are the criteria. Turner concedes 1.2 goals per game and Farman, Hinchcliffe and Bass allow 1.1 goals per 90 minutes. Mansfield sits at the top of the league and has only conceded 36 goals all campaign, thanks in part to the form of the former Peterborough United man who concedes 0.9 goals per match.
Crawley Town’s Corey Addai comes to the fore in the following categories. Firstly, he makes 4.6 saves per 90 minutes, seeing him comfortably above Luke McGee of Tranmere Rovers (3.2).
Colchester United’s Owen Goodman, Nick Townsend of Newport County and Jake Turner make up the top five with 3.2, 3 and 2.9 saves per 90 minutes respectively.
Addai again tops the list of keepers when it comes to save percentage, beating Farman to the top spot with 77.4% compared to the former Lincoln City man’s 72.7%. Behind them comes Pym (71.3), Turner (71.1) and Alex Bass (70.8).
The final category used to judge the men between the sticks is goals prevented. This works in a similar way to the xG of a striker but denotes how many goals a goalkeeper has prevented when it was more favourable to score.
Nick Townsend takes fifth spot with 0.3, Ben Hinchcliffe is fourth with 0.7 and Christy Pym with 1.8.
However, it is once again Farman and Addai who dominate the standings. Paul Farman has a very impressive 7.1 goals prevented, which sets him apart from those below him. Corey Addai sits above the Barrow man with an incredible 13.7 goals prevented.
Writer’s View
Using statistics to judge a goalkeeper can be incredibly misleading. The obvious issues apply, for example, a goalkeeper for a team at the top of the table who is dominating games is less likely to have to make as many saves as a man in the net for a struggling outfit.
Using the five different metrics provides a broader view of a goalkeeper’s abilities.
It is no surprise to see the clean sheet and goals conceded categories dominated by those representing playoff-chasing sides. Similar to it perhaps being expected that the likes of Owen Goodman makes a lot of saves per match.
The truly impressive statistics are those of save percentages and more so goals prevented. For a team to possess a keeper who not only makes the routine saves but can also be relied upon to rescue his side in situations favouring the attacker is vital.
Addai’s heroics, particularly preventing over 13 goals compared to xG conceded, have catapulted Crawley to within touching distance of what was once an unlikely playoff spot. The Hackney-born shot-stopper will hope his side can continue their push for the top seven, despite what the ‘Super Computer’ has predicted.
By giving the goalkeepers a score for their performance in each of the five categories, a table showing the best-performing goalkeeper in League Two can be created.
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