Krysiak Catching The Eye

Academy manager Terry Westley believes that young Polish keeper Artur Krysiak has the potential to play at the very top.

After impressing everybody who has taken a look at him play, Krysiak made his long awaited debut for the U-18 side last weekend after his international clearance finally came through.

The 17 year old has made quite an impression on everybody connected with the club despite so far only playing one game.

Speaking on the official site, Westley said:

‘It was just a delight to see him put his kit on and be allowed to play.

‘He’s a strong character and he really stands out as a massive presence in the goal.

‘He has only just turned 17 but he already looks like a man.

‘His main strength is his alertness and quickness of thought.

‘If there’s a through ball, he’s on top of it.

‘In practice he will make one save and Nigel (Spink) is smashing another one at him and he is already in position.

‘The best goalkeepers are always quick enough to be ready for the next shot and they are not scrambling across their goal.

‘And because of the size of him, he is always on the front foot to take any cross that comes into the box.

‘He is a very positive, hard working boy who is showing all the attributes of being a top keeper, which is why we’ve signed him.

‘Thanks has to go to Steve Bruce and Karren Brady who agreed to go along with the signing, even though we have four other goalkeepers on the books.

‘Artur has a lot of work to do and he is not ready yet but I think he is what we’re after – he has that Premiership mentality and quality.

‘Working with Maik Taylor and Colin Doyle will show him where he’s got to get to.

‘We now need to give him time to settle down, train and play some Academy games.

‘And later in the season we’ll be looking for him to maybe move up and play a few reserve games.’