Cannock steadier with Dave at the helm

With Pinnegar joining Cannock recently, there were going to be question marks over which goalkeeper the Staffordshire side would stick with going into the remainder of the season. After all, constantly changing the one between the posts can cause confusion and anxiety for the defenders as they struggle with communication and have issues remembering the style of defending that goalkeeper prefers to play with and that system and so on. And with Dave Forrester looking to make an impression in his first season in the Prem (with international opportunities potentially opening up), it appears that the team are much more solid with him at the helm.

Pinnegar couldn't do much in the shelling he faced in his first outing for the side he joined before university, but the difference between presence between the two goalkeepers becomes a bit of a standout feature. The higher up you go, the finer the differences between the goalkeepers at a team's disposal, and vocal presence (shouting commands and helping your defenders locate their positioning via the sound of your voice) is as much a weapon against the opposition as solid saving technique. With confidence in the goalkeeper behind them, a team will be happy pushing up the pitch in order to score to time the game and not have to worry about rushing back to defend.

Whilst this display doesn't show him at his best, there are some great penalty corner saves and strong technical work going on.We can also take the time to have a look at what's working for him and helping him earn his colours, and what isn't. Pretty much dominating short corners, which are huge at this level, he is showing he definitely has what it takes to keep the no1 shirt and help Cannock in their efforts to push on up the table.

• His first highlight reel save of the game sees him dive low to cover, most importantly with great rebound control; seeing him push the ball away on the save, cutting out the Brooklands player at the back post (which could have resulted in a tip in) whilst pushing the ball away to a safe area (+5pts or something for doing all of this in one go!)
• Facing his first corner, he starts from a great starting stance, pushing out from his footing to get across with a strong glove hand, staying up and strong. Again, more importantly, he gets across to cover the rebound, which was a major difference maker here against the follow-up
• Bit of a mistake sees the ball cross the line. Perhaps over thinking or a lapse in concentration and would rather be one he wished didn't go in. Here, an awareness and communication with the defender could have helped. Also getting stronger on rebound control to kick the ball away with more power.
• Gets low quickly against the corner, with a strong stick to turn the rebound off the corner and away
• Moved across to dive low and cover the pass but might have done better with positioning; got off lightly with the Brooklands player at the other post looking to redirect it past him
• Good positioning to get behind the redirect, gloves moving with the ball to cover it as it went high and over. Goal disallowed due to a foot, but staying high aggressively as caught in no man's land. Defensive strategy playing a part
• Staying high again at the corner, he watched the flick well, covering just below the crossbar to see it go over and away (covering just in case)