Keeper Jack Bonham joined United on a half-season loan in the summer and has since made 18 appearances, keeping five clean sheets along the way.
Coupled with his run in the team has been a succession of extremely good performances, so we wondered if he was pleased with his own form as we head into another series of big games.
“Yes, I’m pleased with it,” he said. “When I got back into the side I knew it was important to put in a good run of games and try to cement the number one spot.
"You could probably say it gave me a kick up the backside when Shamal [George] got the starting shirt off me. It’s obviously disappointing when you aren’t playing week in and week out, but I’ve got back in there and I’ve picked my game up.
“That’s important, but we’re also picking up some good results and climbing the table. That’s the most important thing.”
Having been complimented by the manager for his decision making recently, he said: “That comes from playing games. It’s my first loan spell and my first run of games and I’m getting more confident with the more minutes I play. From that I’m making better decisions.
“I’m pleased with some of the saves I’ve made recently as well, even though people seem to keep missing them! Maybe I need to concentrate on making a few more camera saves. To be fair, as long as I’m making saves, and it keeps the ball out of the net, I’m happy.”
And on his growing relationship with his defence, he told us: “They’ve helped in giving me a lot of confidence. Clint [Hill] has been brilliant since he came in. He’s constantly speaking to me through games and we’ve got a good understanding building up.
“I feel like I’m learning all the time at the moment. It’s been a very important period for me and, like I say, the more games I play the better I feel I’m getting. Hopefully we’ll keep getting the results we deserve.
“We’ve always known we weren’t far away from doing that because it was a case of tidying up a few silly mistakes and we knew we were then always going to be difficult to beat. We’ve done that and that’s why we’ve started to climb the table.”
“Obviously Luton was disappointing because I don’t think we performed to our levels on the day,” he said. “The journey home is a difficult one anyway but it’s worse when you come away with a defeat.
“I made the penalty save, which was good, and that came from speaking to Dan Watson. He’d mentioned before the game that Hylton had gone both sides with recent penalties, but that his last one had been low and to the keeper’s left. I stuck with that and thankfully I saved it.”
With the new keeper coach already having made an impact, we wondered how much of a transition there’d been when former-coach Simon Tracey left to join Chesterfield.
“It’s always hard for someone new who comes in to impose themselves straight away, but he’s been great with us and he’s given me a boost to my confidence,” he commented. “It was strange saying goodbye to Simon, but that’s football.
“People have their reasons for moving on and I spoke to Simon when he left to thank him for all the hard work and time he put in with me. I definitely wish him all the best.”
The keeper’s recent form has also seen him receive a lot of positive reaction on social media, with the fans impressed with his no-nonsense approach.
“They are massively important to the team and, for me, they’re right behind me and they’re always fantastic,” he said. “If they can keep supporting me and the team, that will be great.
“They follow us everywhere and there are some long journeys for them to do. Luckily enough the manager looks after me with that. He lets me drive down home before some of the games, but Tuesday night was definitely the worst trip I’ve ever had!”
Next up for the Blues is the visit of Morecambe on Saturday.
“It’s a game we’re looking forward to,” he confirmed. “If we get the win we can put what happened on Tuesday night right and get back on a bit of a run.”
And with his current deal ticking towards a close, we wondered if he was happy to stay at the club, should the opportunity arise.
“We’ve had a few discussions already and I’m more than happy to stay,” he revealed. “I’m playing, I’m enjoying it and we’re doing well, so if it was down to me I’d sign the contract to stay right now.
“It feels like the right club. To start the season as number one and play as many games as I have – it’s made this a big part of my career. I really do feel at home here.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Jack Bonham on iFollow United now.
