Sweeney praise for keeper Roberts as Stags aim for fourth clean sheet in a row at Stevenage
After a third successive League One clean sheet, Mansfield Town captain and centre half Ryan Sweeney has hailed goalkeeper Liam Roberts as one of the best he has ever played with.
And he admitted last weekend's first professional game for two-goal Oliver Irow was probably the best debut he has ever seen too.
Ahead of Saturday's trip to Stevenage, Stags have chalked up five successive wins with three League One clean sheets in a row in which Roberts has made crucial saves at crucial times.
“If we do get breached, we have got a fantastic goalkeeper behind us who has been on really good form,” said Sweeney.
“He is top. Ever since he has come into the building he has been fantastic for us.
“A lot of people don't see the character he is in the dressing room, though probably get a taste of it when he is dancing in front of the away fans.
“He has been fantastic on the pitch and a really good guy in the dressing room as well, a real breath of fresh air for us.
“He is up there with the best I have played with in my career.
“His distribution is fantastic and some of the saves he has pulled off, I have not seen that a lot in my career - and I have been blessed since I started, playing with some really good keepers. He is right up there for sure.”
Sweeney has also been very impressed with young Spurs loanee Irow, who came on at half-time on Saturday to score twice - one a top corner worldie - cause havoc, and win Man of the Match.
“It was probably the best debut I have ever seen,” he said.
“During training in the week he put a couple in very similar.
“You can see his quality with that type of finish.
“I said to him I thought it was a bit of a looping cross to the back stick, but when you watch it back it is an incredible finish.
“For him to score two goals like that on his professional debut, and we still have senior lads who speak about their debuts, it was an incredible moment for him and his family.”
Sweeney, who will face older brother Dan at Stevenage on Saturday, is happy with his own form now he is back in the side on a regular basis after a sticky start to his second spell with Mansfield.
“I think I have been doing okay since I got back in,” he said.
“Over my career I have tried to base my performance on consistency, trying to be a seven or eight out of 10 every week.
“I think I am starting to find that. I think I have done okay the last couple of weeks, though there are still things to improve on and stuff I want to get better at.”