Matt Mundy looks at an impressive record…
Southend United goalkeeper Dan Bentley was celebrating more than the three points against Newport County last week.
The 2-0 win against the South Wales side made it 11 consecutive home clean sheets and a total of 1,009 minutes since his goal was last breached at Roots Hall.
In doing so, Bentley surpassed Mervyn Cawston’s 34-year record of 985 minutes without conceding to maintain a glimmer of hope of the Shrimpers pipping an automatic promotion spot.
Cawston was present to watch his record, set in the 1980/81 season, matched and was delighted for it to be Bentley who broke it.
“I’ve held it for 34 years so I certainly can’t be greedy and if it was to go to anyone else then I’m glad it could be him,” Cawston told the Southend Echo.
Bentley’s record dates back to the 25th October 2014 and a 1-1 draw with fellow promotion battlers Bury. Since then, the 21-year-old’s goal has lived a charmed life with shut-outs coming against Hartlepool, Northampton, Burton, Dagenham & Redbridge, Plymouth, York, Cheltenham, Cambridge, Mansfield and then Tranmere when he equalled Cawston’s record.
But the record was broken after 67 minutes of the game against Newport, moments after the visitors had come within inches of denying Bentley a piece of Southend history when David Tutonda hit the bar. Aaron O’Connor also hit the post minutes after breaking the record.
Over the five-month stretch, the highly rated goalkeeper had a spell out of the team with an injury and his deputy, 19-year-old Ted Smith, couldn’t match his teammate, conceding in the defeat to Accrington and draw with Wycombe. But Bentley’s experience, despite his young age for a goalkeeper, helped carry on the clean sheet run upon his return.
“It’s not really sunk in yet and I’m sure it won’t for quite some time,” said Bentley on the feat. “I know I’m probably sounding like a broken record but this is an achievement for the whole team not just for me.”
Southend manager Phil Brown weighed in on the praise adding: “You have to take your hat off to a goalkeeper who has kept 11 clean sheets in a row at Roots Hall. I’m certainly proud of him and he should be proud of himself too.”