Derek Gaston has edged ever closer to becoming Arbroath’s all-time record shut-out keeper after keeping Morton at bay.
Gaston needs just five clean sheets to equal current St Johnstone goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchliffe’s 20-year-old record.
Hinchliffe made 57 clean sheets in 242 games during a nine-year spell with the Gayfield side.
But Gaston is likely to equal and surpass that in less games and with the majority coming in a higher division.
Gaston is in his fifth season – having played 148 games all in the Championship – and he’d love to overtake Hinchliffe.
“It’s a wee target I’ve got,” said Gaston after the 3-0 win at Morton. “Hopefully I can get there before the end of the season.
“The clean sheet record would mean something. It’s like a goalscorer who becomes the club’s top goalscorer. It would be a great accomplishment.
“It’s something you can look back on, at least until someone else comes along and beats it.
“There’s still a long way to go and I need to get a few more clean sheets.
“Ironically, I actually don’t think I played well but I still managed to make a couple of good saves.
“I was also getting a bit of stick for my kick-outs. I had brand new boots on but the boys are telling me to bin them as I found the stand more than my team-mates.”
Derek Gaston always believed in Arbroath
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬!
📸 | 😄 pic.twitter.com/idKCRdU7TD
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) August 26, 2023
Meanwhile, Gaston insists he always knew Arbroath would get back to winning ways.
Lichties picked up their first three points of the season as they extended their unbeaten run over Morton to 13 games.
“Inside the dressing room we know we’ve got quality players,” added Gaston.
“Sometimes when you make so many signings it takes a while for them to know how you play.
“But we weren’t panicking, we’ve started the season with tough games.
“We’re delighted with the win and we weren’t too surprised by it. We still had the belief within the dressing room that we could put in a performance and get a result.”
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