Alex Smithies has won praise from manager Mark Robins as he bids to put the brakes on Brighton on the South coast tomorrow.
Town’s 23-year-old stopper hasn’t missed a minute of any of his club’s 23 Championship and Capital One Cup games so far this season.
And the homegrown former England junior stopper made his 200th Town appearance in last Saturday’s home clash with Reading.
“I’m delighted with the way Alex is playing and the way he applies himself to training,” said Robins, who will today give fitness tests to James Vaughan (ankle) and Jonathan Hogg (hip) and will be without suspended Joel Lynch.
“He has done some top-quality work with our goalkeeping coach Paul Crichton, both on the physical and mental side of the game.
“As the last line of defence, you have to be strong in mind as well as body, and Alex’s concentration levels have been first class.
“Reaching 200 games is a great achievement, and we all know the pride he has in being a Huddersfield lad.
“If it hadn’t been for injuries, he’d have done it a while ago, and you tend to forget that he is still a very young goalkeeper.
“Hopefully there are many more years and games left in him, and lots of clean sheets, starting at Brighton tomorrow.”
Town were beaten 4-1 at the Amex Stadium in March, but Robins believes they are a tougher proposition now.
“We’ve lost the last two games, but both could easily have been victories, and we have to stick to what we’re doing,” he said.
“It’s down to fine margins, and we know we have it in us to beat the leading sides in a division, which is tight and competitive.
“Brighton are on a good run and have some dangerous players, but Barnsley won there earlier this month, and that is the Championship all over.”
