Sheffield United's greatest goalkeepers, part 3: simply the best

The top ten Sheffield United goalkeepers from our statistical and opinion-based analysis of every Blades custodian of the last 40 years

David Beeden (Deadbat)

In the final part of his monumental series (see part 1 and part 2), Deadbat counts down his top 10 goalkeepers, and lists the key rankings, statistics and records of all our custodians .

10. Mark Howard 

Total Appearances for United: 104 (2012-16) 

Clean sheets: 39 

Goals conceded: 104  

Goals conceded per game: 1.0 

Howard signed for United in February 2012 as cover for Steve Simonsen, but didn’t play that season. After the Huddersfield playoff defeat, Simonsen moved on and Howard moved to being first-choice keeper, playing the first 12 games in league and cup. He seemed an improvement on the erratic Simonsen but got injured at Leyton Orient: George Long came in and did well, keeping his place for the rest of the season. After Danny Wilson left, and the David Weir experiment was a disaster, Long was preferred for the early part of this season with Howard playing mostly cup games.  

After Nigel Clough came in, Howard played at Fulham away in the FA Cup and remained in the side as we went on a fantastic run to move away from the bottom of the table and reach the FA Cup semifinal. I remember him being really good in the second half of the season, quietly becoming a key part of the side, and I thought this period was his best spell as a United player. United lost to Hull at Wembley but Howard wasn’t at fault for any of the goals.

Howard remained first choice to start the next season but it was a frustrating period with an unsettled defence in front of him. He played 50 games in that season and saved a crucial penalty at West Ham in a League Cup shootout win, repeating the feat in a gritty win at Doncaster. He saved another in the home leg at Swindon but then conceded five in the return as the whole side were all at sea.

Clough departed and Nigel Adkins preferred George Long to begin the next season, but after the hammering at Gillingham on open day, Howard was back in. He played 16 games but once again Long got back in and after a 1-0 defeat at Crewe in October, Howard never played for United again. He moved at the end of the season and his next game was actually against the Blades as Bolton beat them on opening day in Chris Wilder’s first game as boss. 

Howard was a really dependable keeper on the whole. At a time when we had goalies like Simonsen and Long who would both play well but were equally capable of dropping clangers, Howard was more settling and reliable. He did not make the saves the above two might make but he also had better hands, was more adept at dealing with crosses and seemed to make the defence in front a lot calmer.  

United moment: I think of the Charlton game in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup where he made an incredible save, clawing away a header going into the top corner to ensure we were going to Wembley. A shoot-out win always stands out when the keeper makes a crucial save, though, so the West Ham game is probably the moment for me. 

Career pre- and post-United: His career started at Arsenal but he never played a first-team game. After a loan at Falkirk where he played eight times, he moved to Cardiff (and then a loan at rivals Swansea) but did not play for either side. He moved back up to Scotland with St Mirren for three years here before losing his place, then to Aberdeen but again quickly was replaced and was back south of the border with Blackpool.

After four years at the Lane, Howard moved to fellow League One side Bolton and was part of their promotion side. He moved back to Blackpool in 2018 for a two-year spell, with an emergency loan spell at Salford, but he next played regularly again at Scunthorpe. He had one season there and another at Carlisle before being part of the Hollywood adventure at Wrexham, playing against United in the game at the Lane but not the replay.

He was part of a long running winning run as Wrexham tussled with Notts County for the one automatic spot. It seemed harsh when the club signed Ben Foster to replace Howard for the run-in, but Foster made a crucial penalty kick save against County as they went on to win the title. Foster retired and Howard was back in but Arsenal loanee Arthur Okonkwo ended up starting after Howard conceded five goals at Stockport in late September. Okonkwo signed permanently but Howard remains at the Racecourse Ground. 

9. Simon Moore 

Total Appearances for United: 70 (2016-21) 

Clean sheets: 21 

Goals conceded: 65 

Goals conceded per game: 0.9 

After George Long’s struggles, Moore was signed for £500,000 on a three-year deal. Despite a defeat at Millwall, Moore instantly solidified the defence and looked a good keeper with a nice mix of size and athleticism who could take crosses and had a decent kick. We ended up romping to the title and Moore was a regular and performed really well. We all expected him to start in the Championship as our main keeper but he got an injury on the eve of the season; Jamal Blackman took his place until he was injured at QPR.

He played a fair bit again after this but did not seem as solid as he had been before and started to make mistakes at the higher level. I thought Blackman looked better this season and could see why Moore was not playing: he was hesitant in his decisions and I thought palmed too many shots to incoming players. He did make a great save (after hurting his back) in the game with Wednesday at the Lane as the Owls threatened an unlikely win after being dominated for most of the game. He was sent off at Wolves, but did save a penalty at Reading a few weeks later.  

The next season was the promotion season but Dean Henderson made himself the clear number one and a crowd favourite. Moore was now a backup but still enjoyed a good reception as a clearly valued teammate and a great pro despite not playing as much.

He played two more League Cup games and the two Manchester United ties due to Henderson’s ineligibility. Moore looked poor in both and the pace and quality of the Premier League attacks exposed him, showing why he had never been a regular higher than League One. Moore was popular with the squad and seemed content to come in and do what he had to, but it seemed inevitable he would move on when his contract expired.  

I like Moore and he was excellent in that League One season who became part of the squad and the team spirit we had under Wilder, praised by the manager for how professional he always was. 

United moment: A few crucial saves in games in League One but the game against Northampton at the Lane stands out. I think we went to the top of the league that day and were never knocked off again. Matty Taylor hit a shot near the end and Moore made a spectacular save. We then went up the other end and scored a late winner through Kieron Freeman. We romped to the title after that. 

Career pre- and post-United: Moore was born on the Isle of Wight and was on Southampton’s books but was released for being too small (he’s now 6’3’’!), ending up back on the island with Brading Town. After time with Farnborough, he moved to Brentford in August 2009. He took over from Richard Lee as number one and was a mainstay for a few seasons, part of the side that lost that dramatic last-day game to Doncaster (they then lost to Yeovil in the playoff final). He moved to Cardiff but could never really force his way into the then-Premier-League outfit. He was loaned to Bristol City and upon returning he played more in the 14/15 and 15/16 seasons, but was out of the team by the close of the latter campaign.

After five years at the Lane, he joined Coventry and played well in his first season but after a run of mistakes, he lost his place in the 22/23 season when the excellent Ben Wilson took his spot. Moore was demoted to third choice as Brad Collins came in from Barnsley. I watched him play for the U23s at Chesterfield last season and he struggled, but he ended up getting a contract at Sunderland and backs up Anthony Patterson. His younger brother, Stuart, is the Morecambe first choice. 

8. Wes Foderingham  

Total Appearances for United: 112 (2020-24) 

Clean sheets: 40 

Goals conceded: 158 

Goals conceded per game: 1.4 

Foderingham signed for United in July but with Dean Henderson there and then Aaron Ramsdale coming in, he was competing with the likes of Simon Moore and Michael Verrips as a back-up. He played at Burnley in the League Cup defeat, which United lost on penalties but it was only when Ramsdale moved on and Verrips’ struggled at West Brom, that Foderingham got his league bow. He played in a defeat at home to Huddersfield but was blameless so kept his place until Robin Olsen was brought in and he went back to being the number two. Olsen never convinced and he then got injured and Wes was back in. He played well as Heckingbottom took over and we moved up the league, establishing himself as the number one and Olsen departed. He played 36 times in all competitions and showed some of the form he had evidenced at Swindon when playing in England previously. He kept several clean sheets and made some crucial saves, including penalty saves in games at the Lane against Blackburn and Forest. There was an outstanding save at home to Barnsley in a win and he generally looked very good and had us wondering why he had not played before? United made the playoffs but lost on penalties as he could not repeat his feats earlier in the season but he remained with the Blades into the next season as the undoubted number one.  

He played 44 times in the promotion winning campaign. Two stupid red cards apart and maybe a few more errors than the last season – he still was a reliable back line of defence. Our defensive record was good all season and he could largely be counted upon. With the higher level of football, you wondered pre-season if he was good enough but he started the season well and has undoubtedly been one of our better players despite conceding a lot of goals. He at times single handily kept us in games but then was part of that record breaking defeat at home too Newcastle. In recent games (mid to late October) he has started to make more mistakes but the team is struggling that much; it is hard for him to keep performing at the level he was with so many shots coming in. There were more hammerings and he really lost his confidence particularly with so many of the big defeats being at the Lane and returning manager Chris Wilder brought in a new keeper, Ivo Grbic. Foderingham lost his place but Grbic’s injury saw him go back in for a few games. He was fine as the season finished but we still got several batterings with16 conceded by the team in the final five games as relegation was confirmed. It seemed the relationship between him and Wilder and the club was still somewhat frosty and as expected he moved on last summer. Ironically, he would have probably been fine back in the Championship. Despite the goals conceded in his final season and some mistakes, I think on the whole his time at United was largely positive and was mostly a really solid keeper and an important part of promotion side.  

United moment: Remember an amazing save v Southampton in the League Cup -shown below;

However, his display against Blackburn at the Lane in a 1-0 win in the 2021-22 season was sensational. He made a number of quality saves and stopped the Khadra penalty in an unlikely win with 10 men.  

Career pre- and post-United: Foderingham started his career with Fulham but after a loan at Bromley, was released. His first pro deal was with Crystal Palace but again he did not play and had three loans in non-league – Bromley, Boreham Wood and Histon. He went on loan again – this time to Swindon and did really well, conceding only 6 goals and also kept 9 clean sheets. They signed him permanently. He was ever present for most of his spell at the County Ground. He most famously came to prominence after his spat with manager Paulo Di Canio. Following an abject performance against Stoke City in the League Cup, in which Swindon won 4–3, Foderingham was substituted for Leigh Bedwell in the very next game after twenty-one minutes, with Swindon two goals down. Foderingham reacted angrily to his substitution, kicking a water bottle as he left the pitch and refusing to acknowledge his manager. Di Canio publicly criticised Foderingham after the game and claimed that if he did not apologise for his actions, he would be 'out' of the club. As part of the interview Di Canio called him, ‘League One Wes.’ Foderingham later issued an apology, which was accepted by Di Canio.  

Di Canio left but Foderingham remained and played against United in that crazy 2^nd leg of the Playoffs in 2014-15 in which he and his counterpart in that game, Mark Howard, both conceded 5 goals (not sure any were keeping errors though!). After a heavy defeat to Preston at Wembley in the final and with his contract up, Foderingham moved on. Surprisingly he was signed by Glasgow Rangers in Scotland and for large parts of a 5-year spell was number one as Rangers moved back up the leagues after being relegated for financial irregularities. When Steven Gerrard came in, he lost his place to Allan McGregor, and when his contract ended, he moved to Bramall Lane.  

This summer, he moved to West Ham and is third choice and will spend most of his time on the nice, warm heated seats at the London Stadium but probably picking up a decent wage for not doing much than training in the week. 

7. John Burridge 

Total Appearances for United: 125 (1984-87) 

Clean sheets: 28 

Goals conceded: 173 

Goals conceded per game: 1.4 

‘Budgie’ as he was affectionately known, had a lot of attention in the 80’s/90’s. He was featured on shows like Saint and Greavsie or in Match/Shoot due to both his eccentricity and the fact he was still playing well into his 40’s! Burridge apparently used to sleep with a football and his warm-ups pre games consisted of a bizarre but captivating routine which sometimes would even see him do handstands and somersaults!  

Once at Palace, after a goal went in, he climbed up and at on the top of the crossbar! Always seemed a likeable fella and was popular at most clubs he played at due to his character and sense of humour. He was a decent keeper and had a long and relatively successful career if somewhat nomadic! He came to United from Wolves brought in by Ian Porterfield and was 32 when he signed and seen to be someone who would shore up a porous defence. His arrival at the Lane kind of summed Burridge up. He had gone to Derby to sign for them but then United came in with an offer and he wanted to sign for us. Cox apparently locked him in the office and told him not to move, so he ended up climbing out of the office window and was allegedly then chased down the road by Cox carrying a teapot!  

He made his debut in the 3-0 win against Wimbledon in October 1984. He quickly replaced Keith Waugh permanently and impressed United fans. He was a good communicator, agile and made some impressive saves. He did struggle with crosses and was only 5’11 and that might have been a generous measurement! He loved to interact with the crowd and this made him popular at the Lane. He did have some poor days with the Blades, losing 5-0 at both Wimbledon and Watford in his first season – the latter game after struggling with the likes of Blissett and Barnes, Burridge made the rather non-PC quote that it was ‘Rorke’s Drift out there!’ - in reference to the Anglo-Zulu War fought back in 1879.  

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=244759251066671 

He was quite adept at saving penalties and made four saves in one season – 85-86 – a season when he played every game - 50 in total - in all competitions (rarely ever happens these days as even keepers get rested). This was the season when the phrase, ‘Dad’s Army’ was used to describe the side Porterfield had put together featuring the likes of Burridge, Phil Thompson, Ken McNaught, Peter Withe etc. He remained first choice the next season after Porterfield had moved on and Billy McEwan tried to bring the age down but keep us competitive. There was a story in his final season of Burridge trying to kick up a divot at Boundary Park to take a goal kick with a Blades fan shouting, ‘It’s a plastic pitch Budgie you think c**t!’ His final game was at the end of the 86-87 season and saw us win at already promoted Portsmouth – he saved a penalty and ended his United career on a high. He moved to top flight Southampton and did well there as United suffered a turbulent relegation season the following year with the goalkeeper position never settled and being occupied by a number – mostly unsuccessfully.  

United moment: I often think of him modelling a sheepskin coat in the match day programme as much as his acrobatics pre game but sadly despite him being a decent keeper in his time with us; I think of a mistake. After Steve Wigley scored one of the best individual goals ever seen at the Lane (in my head he beat half the opposition team but like the man who over estimates the size of the fish he caught – it was probably only 2 or 3!), to put us 3-2 up, we conceded a late goal. It was a routine shot from John Lowey but it bounced up and Burridge somehow contrived to shovel it into his own net meaning the points were shared.  

Career pre- and post-United: He grew up in the small mining town of Great Clifton near Workington, Cumbria, on the Northwest coast of England. Like most of the men in the town, his father was a miner. When Burridge was a child, his father brought him down the mines and Burridge realised he did not want to go into this trade. He specialised in boxing and played rugby with the local miners but settled down to play football beginning at his home town club, Workington. He moved to Blackpool in 1971 and spent 4 successful years at Bloomfield Road. Aston Villa signed him but he lost his place and ended up in the capital playing for Palace and QPR. He probably had his best spell at Palace and was part of the exciting Terry Venables side that was right near the top of the league. He spent four seasons at Wolves (he wore a Superman outfit under his kit playing for Wolves apparently) before ending up at the Lane. Further stops followed at Southampton, Newcastle and Hibs. From 1993 to 1997, he played for another 19 clubs but only played 29 games in this span. The highlight was probably appearing for Manchester City at the ripe old age of 43 – to this day the oldest player to play in the Premier League. He played for 29 clubs (18 in the Football League) over a career that lasted almost 30 years. He ended up manager at Blyth Spartans, a team he had ended his playing career with before moving into goalkeeping coach all over the World and then moving into media work. As recently as 2019, he was working as a goalkeeping consultant in India. He now lives in Oman and recently said he was not retired and still available to play! 

Burridge often cited his longevity, was due to the fact he never drank and ate right, looking after his body. He was also one of the first goalkeepers to wear latex gloves 

6. Mel Rees  

Total Appearances for United: 8 (1991-92) 

Clean sheets: 4 

Goals conceded: 6  

Goals conceded per game: 0.75 

Rarely can a player have played so few games for the Blades and his impact be so long lasting. Both his performance on the field and the way he fought illness before he sadly passed away means Rees is remembered both with fondness and sadness by Unitedites. The fact I have placed him so highly despite only playing 8 games. He was the opposite in impact to the likes of Baxter and Day – for making such an impression over such a small sample size of appearances. 

With Simon Tracey injured and Phil Kite, the backup, also not fit, Bassett needed a keeper and had obviously seen something he liked with Rees when he had his spell as manager at Vicarage Road. Rees was signed for just £25,000 but typical of Bassett and United of the time, they would have no choice but to go with these sort of players and signings. Rees was straight in for his debut at home to Liverpool, with people saying he looked like Freddie Mercury as he came out with his moustache and slicked back hair! He was brilliant on debut and despite some wretched defending by the likes of Gayle and Beesley (who both played well that season – particularly post Xmas), Rees got them out of the cart with some superb saves. He carried this form on with more stunning saves in a draw at Villa Park when a late Regis goal salvaged the home side a point and then kept three clean sheets in wins versus Oldham and Spurs at the Lane and Everton away. He was superb that day too. We drew with Arsenal and then won at Notts County before the mad game at home to Leeds – our final home game of the season. Leeds went on to become Champions but recall it was the only game Rees looked shaky but he had picked up an injury and the errors he made on the two final goals (although Brian Gayle was even more culpable than him of course when he headed into his own net!) were probably due to his lack of mobility from the injury. He did not play at Wimbledon and was unable to play for his country sadly as his form had seen him called up for Wales.  

He played 8 games and we won 5 and drew 2, only losing to Leeds in his last game. He kept 4 clean sheets in his 8 games too! We finished the season 9^th, until recently the highest position we had been in the top flight for almost 50 years. 

When it was announced he had bowel cancer, it was a huge shock. He had two operations and did seem be on the road to recovery. He had a loan at Chesterfield and he was back on the bench for a game at Villa in January but be never played for United again.  

Many will remember him leading the team out at Wembley for the FA Cup semifinal in April of 1993 looking extremely gaunt and it had been announced the cancer had returned. 80,000 fans from both sides of the city applauded him as he walked round. Even so, I was still shocked when only the next month he passed away. I remember it being a news story on Calendar and I sat at home silent. I was 15 at the time but my concept of disease and death was quite basic. I rarely thought and heard people of Rees’ age (26 years) passing away. It really got me to think a Sheffield United player had died. 

United moment: The Liverpool game – his debut was one of the best first games I have seen a player have for us. Up there with Borbokis, Ndiaye and Bobby Davison! Brian Deane scored two superb goals but Rees made some superb saves, keeping us in the game at 0-0. Everyone said, ‘Who is this guy and why was he not playing for anyone?!’ It seemed Bassett had picked up another gem.  

Career pre- and post-United: Rees was born in South Wales and started out at his home town club of Cardiff. He played 31 times in three seasons at Ninian Park but suffered a wrist injury and moved to Watford in 1987 for £30,000. When he made his First Division debut for Watford, on 28 December 1987 at the age of 20 years, 337 days, Rees set a record for the youngest footballer to play in all four divisions of the English Football League. He had three years at Watford, mostly as back up to Tony Coton but did have three loan spells with Crewe, Southampton and Leyton Orient. David James was the Watford number one after Coton left and Rees signed for West Brom playing 18 times for the Baggies before moving to the Lane. After his death his family were involved with United after and they had Academy tournaments named after him. It was clear both Rees and the club had an impact on each other. 

5. Aaron Ramsdale 

Total Appearances for United: 46 (2016-17, 2021-22) 

Clean sheets: 8 

Goals conceded: 70 

Goals conceded per game: 1.52 

Ramsdale is another who had more than one spell at the Lane. He was picked up from Bolton when he was younger and was in the Blades academy and development teams signing a scholarship and having some game time with Worksop on loan. He was an unused sub in two games in the League One title campaign but he did play in FA Cup Games – a 6-0 win at home to Orient and then ironically at Bolton – in a 3-2 defeat. He moved to Bournemouth getting the first team shirt and despite the Cherries going down, he was voted their player of the season. When United could not keep Dean Henderson, Wilder saw him as a long-term first choice and went back to re-sign him. The fee raised a few eyebrows, especially as the Blades had sold him for only a fraction of the £18.5 million they spent to get him back – albeit he was a different and more polished top flight keeper.  

Ramsdale’s second United spell saw him only lasted just over a year and brought a critical opinion with some citing him as being on his second consecutive relegation season. What many forget, in my opinion, is that despite some shaky early games, Ramsdale was one of our best players and named our player of the season. Not many keepers have earned that honour at the Lane. He kept us in many games, in a side that was low on confidence and losing most weeks, he was one of the shining lights. He started with the defence being disrupted after the O’Connell injury and there was a spell of games where too many shots went in or he pushed too many out but the reality is he had lots to do and shots were peppering in. It cannot have been easy. He made a few handling errors around Xmas, some (including myself) wondered if he needed a break but Wilder kept faith with him. Gradually he started to show why we had paid so much money and as we finally won some games, he made some crucial saves. Wilder moved on and relegation seemed inevitable. Ramsdale played 42 times and I thought certainly the second half of the season (first half he was not as bad as some made out) he was excellent.  

It was clear other clubs rated him and links started to emerge over the summer with Arsenal. He was in the England squad and was in the Euros for 2020 after Dean Henderson was injured. He started the first game back in the Championship against Birmingham before refusing to play against West Brom, which rightly drew a lot of criticism.  He eventually did leave for Arsenal for a fee that could rise to 30 million which did seem good money for the Blades. He also said he asked for a new contract and had some bizarre comments around the time of his departure. This has not been helped by interviews since then which have been disrespectful to the club who signed him twice and arguably helped him have the career he is now enjoying – right at the very top. It is a shame that he will be held in the same regard by Blades fans as others who have moved on to better things, such as Maguire, Walker, Calvert Lewin etc – due to his actions and subsequent justification for it. I think if I take away the unsavoury ending, he was one of the few stand outs in an awful season and did go onto play for England. I find it hard to put him lower than many on the list below – none who have been close to being player of the season for United as a goalkeeper.  

United moment: He had some excellent displays in a mostly dismal relegation season but the overriding memory of him as a Blade is him forcing a move to another club as he details on the Ben Foster podcast.  

Career pre- and post-United: When with United in the u18 and u21 sides, he clearly was highly rated and had been in some of England junior sides, Bournemouth took a gamble on his potential by signing him for a fee just under a million pounds with a sell on (which would of course never be received due to  who his next club would be!). He was only 19 at this stage and with Bournemouth being in the Premier League he was seen as player they would want to develop. He had loan spells at Wimbledon and Chesterfield in 2018-19 that were mixed but he showed some promise and after a few keepers moved on, Ramsdale ended up starting the 19-20 season, playing in goal for the draw at home to the Blades as Billy Sharp poked past him late on. He remained first choice much of the season and again started when United beat them in the return.  

After his second spell at the Lane, he moved to Arsenal as detailed above. The fee was criticised but Ramsdale ended up taking over from Bernd Leno and ended up number one, playing 38 times. He impressed and won over the cynics and became one of the best keepers in the Premier League in 2022-23. He was part of the Gunners side that led the league most of the season before falling away. He made some mistakes and at times he would have odd moments (which we saw at the Lane) but also made some incredible reaction saves and was mostly reliable. However, despite a good start in North London, Arteta signed his compatriot, David Raya, with speculation he wanted a keeper who was better with his feet. Raya eventually replaced Ramsdale last season and along with losing his Arsenal place, he lost his place in the England squad. This is despite being involved in the last Euros and World Cup squads. He had played 3 senior games for the full England side. After being linked with a number of sides this summer, he returned to the South Coast, signing for newly promoted Southampton for a fee of arounds 18 million (rising to 24 million) but I think he will end up back in the Championship in a year. 

4. Paddy Kenny 

Total Appearances for United: 318 (2002-10) 

Clean sheets: 107 

Goals conceded: 352 

Goals conceded per game: 1.1 

Neil Warnock, had taken Kenny to Bury, had moved on to Bramall Lane but saw promise in the young keeper and returned to sign him. He was thought to be backup but Simon Tracey but he got injured and Kenny started the season at Coventry – having been put through a rigorous pre-season campaign losing a stone in weight in the process. United lost that opening day game but had a tremendous season and were in contention on three fronts – and eventually the FA Cup and League Cup semifinals to Arsenal and Liverpool respectively. Despite also losing the Playoff final to Wolves too, Kenny was outstanding and named player of the year in his first season. He played 59 games this season and impressed with his shot stopping, ability on one on ones and enthusiastic demeanour. He missed some time the following year due to injuring his ankle at Crystal Palace – one of the four games Jagielka replaced him in goal but returned after a few months and was involved in an incident at Millwall that saw him and Kevin Muscat sent off.  

However, the following season he was an ever present as the Blades won promotion and he saved four penalties against Palace, Ipswich and Derby (all wins by a single goal) and another against promotion rivals Reading to save a point. It was during this season that he missed the opportunity to be the first Blades keeper to score in a competitive game, hitting the post in the shootout in the League Cup defeat at home to Watford. He got injured against Hull, but we somehow won the game. He also made some big saves in games in the run in. Kenny also was now a regular in the Ireland squad and played 7 times, but was mostly backup to Shay Given between 2004-07. 

Kenny’s Premier League season saw him play well at times but also make some errors – he also was part of off-field incidents which drew him and us unwanted attention. On the eve of the Manchester United home game in November 2006, Kenny was at an Indian restaurant in Halifax where he got involved with a fight with his ‘friend’ and had his eye brow bitten off; needing 12 stiches. This was allegedly during an argument about who was to pay the bill! Warnock spoke about the incident and said: “It’s the players who are thick who are causing the problems. They are not going to get their brains back, that’s for sure.” He went off against Arsenal due to injury and then despite seeming safe, United went down. It was around this season where Kenny found out his wife had been having an affair with another of his so-called friends and he was to separate from her.  

After a poor spell under Bryan Robson, United recovered under Kevin Blackwell who of course knew Kenny well from previous coaching spells at Bury and the Lane. Although he and Blackwell had their fallouts, Kenny was back to his best in this season where United lost to Burnley in the Playoff final. After this game it emerged over the summer, Kenny had tested positive in a drugs test. 

He received a nine-month ban for testing positive for ephedrine, a substance contained in ChestEze tablets he had taken to help him sleep before the semi-final against Preston. Kenny said after he had retired: “To this day I get asked if I was off my tits, so this is one of those stories where I want to get my side across. The headlines said I was a drug cheat but I wasn’t done for that. I was done for negligence and got nine months, which was way over the top. I wasn’t allowed to even go near the ground or training ground until six weeks before the end of the ban. United stuck by me, which was amazing, and I came through it. A lot of people would have gone under.” 

He played the final two games of the 09-10 season, but after this campaign Kenny surprisingly moved on. Many fans accused him of being a traitor after the club had stood by him. Speaking in his autobiography, The Gloves Are Off, Kenny says he had no intention of leaving and that he was forced out. "It started with yet another phone call, this time it was my agent on the line. 'QPR have activated your buy-out clause, United have had to accept it'. The contract I had signed while I was banned contained a buy-out figure, put there at the club's request. Admittedly, I didn't query it at the time, but any power I might have usually had in negotiations was gone. I was just delighted to have any contract offer whatsoever and signed it without thinking twice.” Kenny said United had wanted to bring in Steve Simonsen who had done well on loan and saw a chance to cash in on him. The Blades got a fee of around £750,000 for the Republic of Ireland international.   

Kenny was booed and jeered (with many holding up notes) when he returned in the first home game of the season (and Blackwell’s last) as he took his place in front of the Kop. Kenny had the last laugh as QPR won 3-0. 

Despite the way it ended, Kenny was a popular character and many fans having heard his side have forgiven and forgotten. He was a key man in an interesting, and mostly successful period and only 6 goalkeepers have played more games for United in their history. At his best, he was a really underrated keeper who perhaps with more discipline (fitness/off field antics) could and should have been a regular in the Premier League for many years. He could make saves you did not think possible and threw himself into areas/players feet to preserve crucial points. He was very brave (some might say stupid – see Warnock above!) and more athletic than many gave him credit for. He did make howlers at times and his decision making could be questionable but he was remarkably consistent for most of his United career. He has also saved the most penalties of any United keeper from this period I discuss. 

United moment: It is odd for someone who had such a good career for us, that I am struggling to think of one moment. I remember a lot of the off-field stuff and the stories that surrounded him but one game or save or even error? Probably not. I think more than ‘a’ single moment – it is the infectious personality which saw him almost always smiling when he played down here. He always seemed someone who knew he was lucky to be doing this as a job and gave his all even if he did not look the most natural doing it! 

Career pre- and post-United: Kenny was born in Halifax and started out at Bradford Park Avenue in non-league. He signed pro with Neil Warnock whose scouts recommended he signed him for Bury. He made his debut in a 2-1 win in August 1999 against Gillingham in League Two. He was at Gigg Lane for 4 years and played 133 games. After a successful period of his career with the Blades, he of course would join up with Warnock again. His new club, QPR, went on to win the league title. The next season, 2010-11, he played in the top flight again and helped QPR stay up despite the last-minute defeat to Man City and the famous Aguero goal which went in past Kenny. Despite him doing well, new manager Mark Hughes signed Rob Green and Kenny lost his place. He fired off some tweets about Hughes and QPR just after he left to rejoin Warnock, yet again – for the fourth time! Kenny was an ever present in 2012-13 and he played every minute of every game. The following season he picked up an injury and Jack Butland came in and performed well and Kenny was not even named on the bench on his return. He became embroiled in a dispute with Leeds and some rumours that owner Massimo Cellino would not allow him to play as he was born on the 17^th of a month – with this being a number the Italian was deeply superstitious of! Regardless, after not being assigned a squad number in 2014-15 season, Kenny left in the August and moved on a short-term deal to Bolton as cover. He played on loan at Oldham before leaving the Reebok Stadium for Ipswich. Subsequent spells at Port Vale (under former teammate Rob Page) and old club Bury followed but he was struggling to stay fit.  

However, in February 2016, Warnock signed him as cover at his latest club, Rotherham. Kenny finished his career with time at Northampton (where he was keeping coach- again under Page) and then non-league playing for Maltby Main. These days he is very active on social media – may be too much and rarely a week goes by where he is not arguing with Wednesday fans (with death threats made against him) or pundits (had a spat with Eni Aluko). Kenny has done a lot of podcasts discussing his career, Warnock and how he would get ‘Paddy fit’ and that would be enough for his former manager.  

He has re-married recently and has his own Transport company. He clearly sees United as his club even in retirement which shows the impression they had on him in his time here. 

3. Dean Henderson 

Total Appearances for United: 86 (2018-2020) 

Clean sheets: 35 

Goals conceded: 79 

Goals conceded per game: 0.9 

After Jamal Blackman had alternated with Simon Moore, the Chelsea loanee went back and United needed a new keeper for the 2018-19 season. Dean Henderson had impressed with his form at Shrewsbury and Man Utd wanted him to move up the leagues so it suited all parties for a season long loan. I must admit I did not know much about him but the highlights showed a tall, athletic keeper who also became a crowd favourite with the clubs he had represented on loan over the last few campaigns.  

He started the season with two defeats and not sure he looked totally convincing but he, like United, settled down. He started to show why we had signed him and made some big saves as we started to put win after win together to be right near the top of the league. The defence was rock solid and he was a huge part of this and won the Golden Glove with 20 clean sheets and won the clubs Young Player of the year. United got promoted and Henderson’s form on the field was matched with the affinity he had with the fans off it. He became so connected to the supporters, club and the city. There were rumours European clubs and Chelsea were looking at him and it seemed in some doubt we would sign him again for another season on loan. He did come back and was a part of our hugely successful season that once again had its basis in a solid defence. He made his Premier League debut on 10 August as United began the season with a 1–1 draw at AFC Bournemouth. Henderson stepped up to the higher level comfortably but in September against Liverpool at Bramall Lane, he fumbled a shot from Georginio Wijnaldum for the game's only goal.  Wilder warned him that he would have to do better to succeed for Manchester United or England. This earned the manager some criticism and Henderson’s form was tremendous after this as the Blades had a remarkable first season back in the Premier League. We went toe to toe with the big teams and the wins/points kept flowing. We were right up there in the top 5-7 places for a sustained period. In the final game before the Premier League shut down, Henderson made a triple save, keeping out a Norwich City goal in a 1–0 victory.  

Henderson received praise again during Sheffield United's first game following project restart where he kept his 11th clean sheet of the season, in the controversial game against Villa. Following the match, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær confirmed that he saw Henderson as the club's future number one goalkeeper. Henderson continued to impress in the run in before at the end of the season, he went back to his parent club. 

Henderson spent only two years at the Lane and both seasons were on loan. Many keepers in and around these high placed ranking positions, played a lot more but he made such an impression at the Lane and was popular with teammates and supporters alike. I was surprised he did not establish himself as number one at Old Trafford on his return and struggled with the bigger expectations. When he moved to rivals Forest last season it hurt but he regained his form and confidence from his Bramall Lane days before he got injured.  

United moment: Henderson had some huge games and moments in both seasons he spent with us. His most high-profile mistakes might have been the errors in the Villa away game which was a turning point and then the Liverpool home game – again he recovered brilliantly. On the flip side, he was rock solid in games on the road against promotion rivals West Brom and Leeds. However, two moments in games against Norwich – in both seasons stand out for me. He made one when Norwich beat the offside trap in the Championship season – a game we went on to net a late winner. He then made a remarkable triple save in the final game before covid struck when after we seemed well set for European qualification. His reactions were something else and helped preserve the win. 

Career pre- and post-United: Henderson was brought up in Workington, Cumbria and started out as a young keeper at Carlisle but joined Manchester United’s academy at only 14. He was a regular in the u18’s in the 2013-14 season and in August 2015 signed his first professional deal. He was also involved in England at every youth level from 16 (and eventually to u21). In January 2016, he went on his first loan deal at Stockport and played 9 games here before being recalled to Old Trafford with Man Utd having a goalkeeping crisis. He was on the bench for an FA Cup game against Shrewsbury. The following season he had a loan at Grimsby but it was when he went to Shrewsbury in 2017-18 on a season long loan that he really started to impress. The Shrews got to the Playoff final losing to Rotherham but Henderson caught the eye this season and the Blades saw a chance to take him to a higher level – again on loan. After his two year stay at Bramall Lane, he returned to Man Utd competing with David De Gea for the first team shirt and signing a new 5-year deal. Over the next two seasons, he played 13 times but De Gea invariably seemed to get the shirt back. I remember Henderson making an error in a 3-2 win for the Red Devils at the Lane (during lockdown) and his mistakes meant he was never able to lock down the position. He did play once for England during this time but with De Gea signing a new contract, Henderson had to look for first team football elsewhere. He joined Forest last season and impressed with a penalty save on his home debut and like at the Lane, became a big crowd favourite at the City Ground. Sadly, he picked up an injury in January and did not play again. He moved to Crystal Palace who are an established Premier League club but injuries and inconsistent form meant it was a slow start but he now seems to have established himself as number one at Selhurst Park and is back in the England squads.  

2. Alan Kelly 

Total Appearances for United: 255 (1992-1999) 

Clean sheets: 67 

Goals conceded: 327 

Goals conceded per game: 1.3 

Alan Kelly was signed by Dave Bassett to provide competition for Simon Tracey following the awful news that Mel Rees had been diagnosed with cancer. Tracey started the first Premier League season but he was sent off at White Hart Lane and Kelly came on in a 2-0 defeat. Kelly played in the two league cup games with Bristol City but his first league start was at Portman Road where he kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw. He followed it up with another in his first home league game – a 2-0 win over Southampton. After Tracey got back in briefly, Kelly played in the Sheffield Derby – a 1-1 draw and retained his place the rest of the season. He impressed fans with his quick reactions and reflexes. As the Blades once again pulled away from danger, Kelly started to have United fans questioning if he was even better than Tracey and seemed another bargain buy that adapted to top level football seamlessly. Of course, this was the season we had the FA Cup run and Kelly was important in that with a penalty save from Jason Wilcox in the quarter final replay in the shoot-out. Kelly was sensational at Wembley and kept the scoreline down as Wednesday were too good for us on this day, but somehow his almost one-man show took the game to extra time. Despite this performance I still question his positioning and not having extra men in the wall for Waddle’s early free kick.  

Kelly remained as number one the next season but this also signalled the start of a period when one or the other always seemed to pick up knocks and then the other got in and invariably played well and the other had to wait their turn. This seemed to be the case for a number of seasons after this. He played around two thirds of the games but it was Tracey who was in goal for the run in and that game at Chelsea. As United began life back in the second tier, Kelly was the first choice for the next three seasons and Howard Kendall came in to take over from Bassett. There were some some great performances but he was also chipped/lobbed a few times and started to struggle with crosses too. He still played more than Tracey in this period and was superb in the 2^nd leg of the playoffs at Ipswich but got injured and once again was missing for the final game – the defeat to Palace. Tracey started the next season under Nigel Spackman and the Blades looked odds on for promotion but Deane/Fjortoft were sold and we fell away. This was another cup run and maybe Kelly’s most famous night – under the lights against Coventry (see below). Kelly was very good in the semifinal again, as Shearer scored the only goal. He once again was injured for the vital run in/games at the close of the season which seemed to be often the case weirdly and Tracey played in the playoff defeat to Sunderland.  

His final season as a Blade saw him fittingly split playing time with Tracey, who Kelly admitted was more of a friend than a rival, as United finished in a disappointing 8^th place under Steve Bruce. He played in that controversial game at Arsenal (the one re-played) but his final match was a 1-4 reverse at Ipswich. I remember him playing in a friendly though before the season started against a Chelsea side that featured some of their World Cup winners, but it was clear that United needed to raise funds and, with Kelly in the final year of his contract, United opted to take the paltry fee they received from Blackburn. 

Kelly had a really good career with United and is one of our best ever keepers and indeed players. He was a huge part of the 1990’s along with the likes of Deane, Tracey and Whitehouse. He had lots of qualities and seemed a likeable bloke too and a good pro. He (like Tracey) did pick up more injuries than most goalkeepers normally do but in an odd way this helped both stay at the club for so long. One quirk is that he never saved a penalty in an actual game for United but of course was the hero in the quarter final wins with saves in both. 

United moment: Take your pick from the two penalty shoot outs quarter final wins. I think the Coventry one stands out as he made three saves at the Kop End and it was St Patrick’s Day and the image of him being carried shoulder high on the pitch might be the image I often most think of when he is mentioned. He was incredible in the 1993 FA Cup Final but cannot name a defeat against ‘them’ as his moment! 

Career pre- and post-United: Kelly started his career at the club that made his Dad, Alan Sr, famous – Preston North End. He was at Preston for 7 years and played 142 games in the lower leagues before United signed him. During his best spell with the Blades, he forced his way into the Republic of Ireland squad. He was never able to oust Packie Bonner or Shay Given. He did go to the USA World Cup in 1994 and the South Korea tournament in 2002 (in which he was part of an argument with Roy Keane pre-tournament – the one where Keane left the camp). Following his similarly long spell at the Lane – 7 years again – Kelly moved to Blackburn. He was never able to fully establish himself there and Souness panned him after a mistake when he kicked the ball against his Republic of Ireland teammate David Kelly which resulted in United scoring a freak goal. He stayed at Ewood Park for 5 seasons but was not able to rediscover the form he showed for the Blades. He ended up on loan Stockport and Birmingham but retired in 2004 having battled a number of injuries. 36 is a relatively young age to pack in as a keeper but Kelly quickly moved into goalkeeping coaching – a job he still does now. He has coached his country as well as back at his first love Preston. He then went to Everton  and was there for 7 years where he coached the Toffees and also Ireland but left both roles this summer and does not seem to be working for anyone currently. He is brother-in-law of another former Blades player and current chief scout – Jamie Hoyland. 

1. Simon Tracey 

Total Appearances for United: 383 (1988-2003) 

Clean sheets: 114 

Goals conceded: 478 

Goals conceded per game: 1.2 

After Dave Bassett had brought him through at Plough Lane, ‘Harry’ brought him up North to compete with Graham Benstead as United tried to bounce back to the second division at the first attempt. Tracey made his debut in December 1988 at Wrexham in the Sherpa Van Trophy – a 1-1 draw. He only played one league game – a 5-1 win over Huddersfield in early March, as Benstead was the number one. However, Bassett opted to go with Tracey for the run in and he took his chance. I remember him running up the Blades fans at Molineux and scaling the fence before the game had ended but fortunately, we got the point we needed.  

After the Blades went up, he was installed as the first choice and was superb the following season. United won an unexpected second promotion and he was a key man – winning player of the season. His long hair distinguished him but it was his performances that really made him stand out. Brave, quick off his line and able to take crosses with the minimum of fuss. He was brilliant in some of those games as we went up. He had some difficult games – the heavy defeats at West Ham and then Leeds – where our promotion rivals employed the illegal tactic of stopping him move as he tried to kick it out. Leeds had noticed that his big kicks to start possession in United’s direct game was a tactic they needed to stop. Tracey’s kicking from hand and even goal kicks were good but as soon as the new back pass rule came in, Tracey did struggle as he admitted later in his career. I think the more time he had and more touches meant there was the greater chance of error! Going back to that 89-90 season, Tracey quickly became one of most important players (alongside Deane and Agana) and started to get attention from bigger clubs.  

Sadly, he picked up a serious injury on opening day of the 1990-91 season when his bravery was his undoing as Ian Rush caught him and broke his cheekbone. I still feel that was a foul watching it back but the goal was given. Tracey was out for a period and when he came back he let in 4 goals at Tottenham and United’s poor start meant they failed to win until December 22^nd. One he had returned; Tracey remained an ever present and regained the excellent form he had shown the previous season. The Blades went on a remarkable run and escaped with some comfort. The next season, Tracey continued his superb fun and there was talk of both England and Ireland call ups – depending on if he could prove eligibility. I think there was talk he had been called up for a squad (never officially announced) but he got injured in a win at Stamford Bridge in February of 1992. This same season he made an incredible save at Liverpool from Ray Houghton  

He was part of a derby double over a powerful Wednesday side. We finish 9^th this season and once again he was a big part of the tremendous run we had after another bad start. Alan Kelly signed during the 92-93 season and was excellent as Tracey picked up another injury. For the next period Kelly played more games both in the final Premier League season and back in the second tier after relegation. Tracey was in goal for that Chelsea defeat and should have done better with the Mark Stein finish at the near post. Tracey only played 25 games for the next three seasons as Kelly was preferred for the most part but again he still played in some important games and of course Hopkin’s shot flashed past him in that playoff final (not sure he had any chance with that one!).  

He played a lot more and was back as number one for most of the next season under Nigel Spackman but Steve Thompson went back to Kelly for the run in, but Tracey again played in the final games. They both played a similar number of games before Kelly moved on. Tracey was undisputed number one under Adrian Heath and Neil Warnock and played 52 games in all competitions in the 99-00 season which saw United finish their lowest position for over a decade. He played a further 47 and 43 games the next two seasons respectively and had looked to have put his injuries behind him even at the age of 34. However, the 0-2 defeat at Birmingham on April 21^st, 2002 was to be his final game for the Blades after a career that lasted 15 years. He picked up more niggling injuries and with Paddy Kenny making the shirt his own, Tracey hung up the gloves in 2003. He had a testimonial game against Middlesbrough in 2003 before he moved into coaching. 

Tracey was at the club for 15 years and made 383 appearances. He was part of the Bassett and then the Warnock days which is incredible really. He was here twice as long as Kelly which you sometimes forget when making comparisons. His early days he was superb but then did pick up injuries and also, he had a penchant for poor decisions and sometimes his bravery and desire to get there so quick, saw him make errors. After one such mistake at Spurs, Bassett saying he had ‘the brains of a rocking horse!’

He did not seem the most intelligent and maybe this helped his fearless attitude as he did not always think but this often saw him make crucial saves too! We were so fortunate to have both him and Kelly as our goalkeepers for a period and it meant we rarely had to worry about this position as for the most part they both excelled. Tracey did pick up some injuries and then around the mid to late 90’s, Kelly got the spot for a while but we forget Tracey then got back in and was a regular for another 3 seasons after Kelly had been sold. He was maybe not quite as dependable as the years caught up with him but he was still steady and never remember anyone say that he needed replacing? It was only that Kenny came in and did so well along with another injury, that Tracey did not come back – rather than poor form. 

Tracey was a bit of a ‘nutter’ to quote his former manager Bassett again but he summed up that set of early 90s players that had spirit but underrated ability. Looking around at other keepers of that time, Tracey was better than most of them. Maybe he was not part of a fashionable club but I still find it a mystery none of the big clubs took him on. After all we were desperate for money at that time! I am glad they didn’t and that he was a huge chunk of United’s history. Post War if you look at the players with most appearances you have Joe Shaw, Alan Woodward, Alan Hodgkinson, Len Badger, Graham Shaw, Cec Coldwell, Eddie Colquhoun, Jimmy Hagan, Nick Montgomery and then Tracey in the top 10. There probably won’t be players who stay at clubs for 15 years anymore so that longevity, sticking power and consistency when he did play cannot be understated.  

So, for all those reasons Tracey just pips Kelly as my number one…Henderson and then Kenny is fair bit behind those two and then a big drop off to the next keepers on my list. 

Some many people reading this will be shocked that I have gone for Tracey over Kelly as my number one. It is just my personal preference from watching two fantastic keepers in the late 80’s through to the late 90’s. We were so blessed to have two fantastic keepers (3 if you count the brief spell Mel Rees had too) and it was hard for Bassett, Kendall, Spackman, Thompson and then Bruce to know who to pick at times. Both were outstanding for the most part and you can place a fag paper between them in terms of who was the better. I am sure a lot will point to Tracey’s disciplinary record and also the high-profile mistakes he made but many forget Kelly, like Tracey, also had some (rare) poor moments too as the focus is often on the big cup wins and penalty shoot outs. I also notice our record under Tracey is better as his record of clean sheets (almost double – granted over double the amount of time) and goals conceded per game. Tracey takes it on games played and longevity too -played across three decades! Kelly was a fantastic goalkeeper though and I can understand those (maybe the majority?) who will make him their personal favourite. My final call was based on how I felt and despite some of the odd things he did now and again – I was more comfortable with Tracey in goal. I felt Tracey commanded his area better, took the high ball better and was a better organiser of his defence. I think both struggled with kicking and would have maybe had issues in this regard, in the modern game. Both were superb shot stoppers and could single handedly win games for us though. 

United moment: He was part of two promotion campaigns but on the flip side I think of him being in goal for the goals Mark Stein and David Hopkin scored. However, my overriding memory of Tracey is of the two Sheffield Derby games in the 91-92 season. These were much anticipated as we had not played each other in the top division for a long time. England keeper Chris Woods had moved to Wednesday for a lot of money and was seen as the superior keeper – as they were seen as the superior side. United outplayed their city rivals and Tracey was excellent in both games whilst Woods had two absolute nightmares and looked terrified every time we went near their goal. Tracey wheeled away after the Whitehouse goal at the Lane and made pig noises/gestures towards the Wednesday end! (think he get warned by the FA or Police for that!)  

Career pre and post United: Tracey started out at Wimbledon and came through the youth ranks. His first game was at Wembley in the Charity Shield – a 2-1 loss to Liverpool, after the hero of the FA Cup final Dave Beasant had been sold to Newcastle. Tracey kept his place for the opening league game but they got hammered 5-1 to Arsenal and was replaced for the next game. He never got back into the team and Hans Segers became first choice. Tracey signed for United a few months later. His long United career still saw him have a four short loan spells with other clubs as Kelly of course was still here and most of them were an absolute disaster! These were between 1994-1995 and he had a night to forget as he conceded 5 in the Manchester derby for City. He also had an awful time at Norwich playing for them three times on his debut he made an error for the winner, then got injured in the next game before conceding five goals in his final Canaries appearance. He let in four goals for Wimbledon in his single game back there. After injuries with United at the end of his career, Paddy Kenny took the number one slot and Tracey retired. He moved into goalkeeping coaching at Rotherham and worked at several clubs. He was chief scout at Northampton for a while but is now a European scout for Brentford and seems to be doing a good job from the number of successful signings they have made over the last few seasons. 

The final ranking

1. Simon Tracey 

2. Alan Kelly 

3. Dean Henderson 

4. Paddy Kenny 

5. Aaron Ramsdale 

6. Mel Rees 

7. John Burridge 

8. Wes Foderingham 

9. Simon Moore 

10. Mark Howard 

11. Keith Waugh 

12. Paul Gerrard 

13. Jamal Blackman 

14. Andy Goram 

15. Hans Segers 

16. Ian Bennett 

17. Graham Benstead 

18. Adam Davies 

19. Paul Tomlinson 

20. Carl Ikeme 

21. Billy Mercer 

22. Alan Fettis 

23. Phil Kite 

24. Frank Talia 

25. Jordan Amissah 

26. George Long 

27. Steve Simonsen 

28. Mark Bunn 

29. Jake Eastwood 

30. Roger Hansbury 

31. Robin Olsen 

32. Andy Leaning 

33. Iain Turner 

34. Phil Barnes 

35. Gary Kelly 

36. Kristian Rogers 

37. Sal Bibbo 

38. Mervyn Day 

39. Aidan Davison 

40. Richard Wright 

41. Wilko de Vogt 

42. Michael Verrips 

43. Ivo Grbic 

44. Lee Baxter  

List in appearances (and Deadbat ranking number)

383 Simon Tracey (1)
318 Paddy Kenny (4)
255 Alan Kelly (2)
125 John Burridge (7) 
123 George Long (26) 
121 Keith Waugh (11) 
108 Steve Simonsen (27) 
112 Wes Foderingham (8)
104 Mark Howard (10)
86 Dean Henderson (3)
70 Simon Moore (9) 
64 Graham Benstead (17)
46 Aaron Ramsdale (5)
Paul Tomlinson (19)
35 Mark Bunn (28)
33 Jamal Blackman (13)
29 Ian Bennett (16)
25 Andy Leaning (32)
19 Paul Gerrard (12) 
18 Phil Kite (23)
13 Iain Turner (33)
11 Hans Segers (15)
Adam Davies (18)
Robin Olsen (31)
10 Ivo Grbic (43)
9 Andy Goram (14)
Wilko de Vogt (41)
8 Mel Rees (6)
6 Frank Talia (24)
5 Roger Hansbury (30)
Phil Barnes (34)
4 Billy Mercer (21)
Michael Verrips (42)
3 Alan Fettis (22)
Jake Eastwood (29)
2 Carl Ikeme (20)
Sal Bibbo (37)
Aidan Davison (39)
Richard Wright (40) 
1 Jordan Amissah (25) 
Gary Kelly (35)
Kristian Rogers (36)
Mervyn Day (38)
Lee Baxter (44)

Clean sheets (and Deadbat ranking number)

114 Simon Tracey (1)
107 Paddy Kenny (4)
67 Alan Kelly (2)
40 Wes Foderingham (8)
Keith Waugh (11)
39 Mark Howard (10)
George Long (26)
35 Dean Henderson (3)
30 Steve Simonsen (27)
28 John Burridge (7)
21 Simon Moore (9)
17 Graham Benstead (17)
Paul Tomlinson (19)
11 Ian Bennett (16)
Mark Bunn (28)
9 Jamal Blackman (13)
8 Aaron Ramsdale (5)
5 Paul Gerrard (12)
4 Mel Rees (6)
Adam Davies (18)
3 Phil Kite (23)
Phil Barnes (34)
Wilko de Vogt (41)
2 Hans Segers (15)
Alan Fettis (22)
Frank Talia (24)
Andy Leaning (32)
Iain Turner (33)
1 Andy Goram (14)
Carl Ikeme (20)
Jordan Amissah (25)
Robin Olsen (31)
Michael Verrips (42)
0 Billy Mercer (21)
Jake Eastwood (29)
Roger Hansbury (30)
Gary Kelly (35)
Kristian Rogers (36)
Sal Bibbo (37)
Mervyn Day (38)
Aidan Davison (39)
Richard Wright (40)
Ivo Grbic (43)
Lee Baxter (44)

Goals conceded per game

0 Jordan Amissah (0 in 1 appearance)

0.67 Alan Fettis (2 @ 0.667pg)

0.75 Mel Rees (6 @ 0.75pg)

0.8 Phil Barnes (4 @ 0.8pg)
George Long (106 @ 0.861pg)

0.9 Adam Davies (10 @ 0.909pg)
Dean Henderson (79 @ 0.918pg)
Simon Moore (65 @ 0.928pg)

1 Mark Howard (104 @ 1pg)
Carl Ikeme (2 @ 1pg)

1.1 Iain Turner (14 @ 1.076pg)
Jamal Blackman (36 @ 1.091pg)
Paddy Kenny (352 @ 1.106pg)

1.2 Frank Talia (7 @ 1.167pg)
Paul Tomlinson (55 @ 1.196pg)
Mark Bunn (43 @ 1.23pg)
Keith Waugh (150 @ 1.24pg)
Ian Bennett (36 @ 1.241pg)
Simon Tracey (478 @ 1.248pg)
Graham Benstead (80 @ 1.25pg)
Michael Verrips (5 @ 1.25pg)
Steve Simonsen (138 @ 1.278pg)
Alan Kelly (327 @ 1.282pg)

1.3 Andy Goram (12 @ 1.333pg)
Wilko de Vogt (12 @ 1.333pg)
Hans Segers (15 @ 1.364pg)
Paul Gerrard (26 @ 1.368pg)
John Burridge (173 @ 1.384pg)

1.4 Wes Foderingham (158 @ 1.411pg)

1.5 Aaron Ramsdale (70 @ 1.522pg)
Robin Olsen (17 @ 1.545pg)
Andy Leaning (39 @ 1.56pg)

1.6 Phil Kite (29 @ 1.611pg)

2 Roger Hansbury (10 @ 2pg)
Sal Bibbo (4 @ 2pg)
Richard Wright (4 @ 2pg)
Gary Kelly (2 @ 2pg)
Kristian Rogers (2 @ 2pg)

2.25 Billy Mercer (9 @ 2.25pg)

2.3 Jake Eastwood (7 @ 2.333pg)

3 Ivo Grbic (30 @ 3pg)
Aidan Davison (6 @ 3pg)
Lee Baxter (3 @ 3pg)
Mervyn Day (3 @ 3pg)

Penalty Saves 

1983-84 Keith Waugh, 1 October 1983, Division 3, Millwall (A) Won 2-1 
1983-84 Paul Tomlinson, 26 November 1983, Division 3, Southend (H) Won 5-0 
1985-86 John Burridge, 2 November 1985, Division 2, Hull City (H) Won 3-1 
1985-86 John Burridge, 5 April 1986, Division 2, Hull City (A) Drew 0-0 
1985-86 John Burridge, 8 April 1986, Division 2, Barnsley (A) Lost 1-2 
1986-87 John Burridge, 4 May 1987, Division 2, Ipswich (H) Drew 0-0 
1987-88 Andy Leaning, 15 August 1987, Division 2, Bournemouth (H) Lost 0-1 
1988-89 Graham Benstead, 20 September 1988, Division 3, Northampton (H) Won 4-0 
1988-89 Graham Benstead, 24 September 1988, Division 3, Brentford (A) Won 4-1 
1988-89 Graham Benstead, 12 November 1988, Division 3, Fulham (H) Won 1-0 
1988-89 Graham Benstead, 4 March 1989, Division 3, Wigan Athletic (A) Won 2-1 
1989-90 Simon Tracey 28, March 1990, Division 2, Oldham (A) Won 2-0 
1991-92 Simon Tracey 22, February 1992, Division 1, Luton (A) Lost 2-1 
1991-92 Mervyn Day, 2 May 1992, Division 1, Wimbledon (A) Lost 3-0 
1997-98 Simon Tracey, 26 August 1997, League Cup, Wrexham (A) Won 3-1 
1997-98 Simon Tracey, 20 September 1997, Division 1, Oxford (A) Won 4-2 
1999-00 Simon Tracey, 23 October 1999, Division 1, Swindon (A) Drew 2-2 
1999-00 Simon Tracey, 26 December 1999, Division 1, Birmingham (A) Won 2-0 
1999-00 Simon Tracey, 22 April 2000, Division 1, Nottingham Forest (A) Drew 0-0 
2003-04 Paddy Kenny, 26 August 2003, Championship, Crystal Palace (A) Won 2-1 
2004-05 Paddy Kenny, 20 August 2004, Championship, Preston (H) Won 1-0 
2004-05 Ian Bennett 26, December 2004, Championship, Coventry Won 2-1 
2005-06 Paddy Kenny, 10 September 2005, Championship, Ipswich (H) Won 2-0 
2005-06 Paddy Kenny, 1 February 2006, Championship, Derby (A) Won 1-0 
2005-06 Paddy Kenny, 14 February 2006, Championship, Reading (H) Drew 1-1 
2006-07 Paddy Kenny, 9 September 2006, Premier League, Blackburn (H) Drew 0-0 
2008-09 Paddy Kenny, 19 October 2008, Championship, Sheff Weds (A) Lost 1-0 
2008-09 Paddy Kenny, 7 April 2009, Championship, Barnsley (H) Won 2-1 
2009-10 Mark Bunn, 21 November 2009, Championship, Peterborough (H) Won 1-0 
2009-10 Mark Bunn, 26 January 2010, Championship, Reading (H) Lost 3-0 
2009-10 Ian Bennett, 9 February 2010, Championship, Preston North End (A) Lost 1-2 
2010-11 Steve Simonsen, 5 February 2011, Championship, Ipswich Town (A) Lost 0-3 
2012-13 George Long, 16 April 2013, League One, Brentford (H) Drew 2-2 
2013-14 George Long, 10 August 2013, League One, Brentford (A) Lost 1-3  
2014-15 Mark Howard, 15 November 2014, League One, Doncaster (A) Won 1-0 
2014-15 George Long, 28 November 2015, League One, Barnsley (A) Drew 1-1 
2014-15 Mark Howard, 7 May 2015, League One PO, Swindon (H) Lost 1-2 
2015-16 George Long, 6 February 2016, League One, Wigan (H) Lost 0-2 
2015-16 George Long, 19 April 2016, League One, Shrewsbury (A) Won 2-1 
2017-18 Simon Moore, 27 February 2018, Championship, Reading (A) Won 3-1 
2019-20 Simon Moore, 27 August 2019, EFL Cup, Blackburn (H) Won 2-1 
2019-20 Dean Henderson, 21 January 2020, Premier League, Man City (H) Lost 0-1 
2021-22 Wes Foderingham, 4 March 2022, Championship, Notts Forest (H) Drew 1-1 
2021-22 Wes Foderingham, 23 February 2022, Championship, Blackburn (H) Won 1-0 
2022-23 Adam Davies, 22 October 2022, Championship, Norwich (H) Drew 2-2 
2022-23 Foderingham, 26 December 2022, Championship, Coventry (H) Won 3-1 
2022-23 Adam Davies, 7 February 2023, FA Cup, Wrexham (H) Won 3-1 

Total 47 saved in games

Leaders - 8 Kenny, 7 Tracey, 5 Long, 4 Burridge, 4 Benstead 

Shootout saves 

Penalty results shown and number of saves in brackets. If not listed, then assume no saves were made (eg Forest away in the Play Offs 2021-22) 

1991-92 Phil Kite, 22 October 1991, ZDS, Notts County (H) Lost 1-2 (2) 
1992-93 Alan Kelly, 16 March 1992, FA Cup, Blackburn (H) Won 5-3 (1)  
1997-98 Alan Kelly, 17 March 1993, FA Cup, Coventry (H) Won 3-1 (3) 
1999-00 Simon Tracey, 21 December 1999, FA Cup, Rushden & Diamonds (A) Won 6-5 (1) 
2001-02 Simon Tracey, 11 September 2001, League Cup, Grimsby (A) Lost 2-4 (1) 
2004-05 Paddy Kenny, 26 October 2005, League Cup, Watford (H) Lost 2-4 (1) 
2004-05 Paddy Kenny, 13 February 2005, FA Cup, West Ham (H) Won 3-1 (2) 
2011-12 Steve Simonsen, 9 August 2011, League Cup, Hartlepool (A) Won 5-4 (1) 
2011-12 Steve Simonsen, 8 November 2011, JPT, Bradford City (H) Lost 5-6 (1) 
2011-12 Steve Simonsen, 26 May 2012, League One PO Final, Huddersfield (A) Lost 8-7 (2) 
2013-14 Mark Howard, 3 September 2013, JPT, Scunthorpe (A) Won 5-3 (1) 
2014-15 Mark Howard, 26 August 2014, League Cup, West Ham (A) Won 5-4 (1) 
2015-16 George Long, 1 September 2015, FLT, Hartlepool (A) Won 5-4 (2) 
2021-22 Wes Foderingham, 21 September 2021, League Cup, Southampton (H) Lost 2-4 (1) 
2022-23 Adam Davies, 30 August 2023, League Cup, Lincoln (H) Lost 2-3 (1) 

Total: 21 saved in shoot outs – 4 Kelly, 4 Simonsen, 3 Kenny, 2 Tracey, 2 Howard, 2 Long, 2 Kite, 1 Foderingham, 1 Davies 

Red Cards 

1988-89 Graham Benstead, 17 January 1989, Sherpa Van, Wrexham (A) Lost 1-2 
1992-93 Simon Tracey, 2 September 1992, Division One, Spurs (A) Lost 0-2 
1993-94 Simon Tracey, 3 May 1993, Premier League, Oldham (A) Drew 1-1 
1997-98 Simon Tracey, 31 January 1998, Championship, Portsmouth (A) Drew 1-1 
1999-00 Simon Tracey, 21 August 1999, Championship, Man City (A) Lost 0-6 
2001-02 Simon Tracey, 16 March 2002, Championship, West Brom (H) Lost 0-3 
2004-05 Paddy Kenny, 4 December 2004, Championship, Millwall (A) Won 2-1 
2017-18 Simon Moore, 3 February 2010, Championship, Wolves (A) Lost 0-3 
2017-18 Jamal Blackman, 30 March 2018, Championship, Brentford (A) Drew 1-1 
2022-23 Wes Foderingham, 15 October 2022, Championship, Blackpool (H) Drew 3-3 
2022-23 Wes Foderingham, 10 April 2023, Championship, Burnley (A) Lost 0-2 

Total: 11 red cards – 5 Tracey, 2 Foderingham

Player of the Year 

Only five goalkeepers have been named Player of the Year at the Lane in the last 40 years 

Pre 1984: Alan Hodgkinson 1966-67 and Jim Brown 1974-75 

1989-90 Simon Tracey 
1991-92 Simon Tracey 
1995-96 Alan Kelly 
2002-03 Paddy Kenny 
2020-21 Aaron Ramsdale 

PFA Divisional Teams of the Year 

Only four SUFC goalkeepers have been selected to the divisional team of the year since this award was created 

1981-82 Keith Waugh 
1995-96 Alan Kelly 
1996-97 Alan Kelly 
2017-18 Simon Moore