Dinnington Town goalkeeper Josh Branch racks up NINE consecutive clean sheets

Safe hands....Dinnington Town stopper Josh Branch.

The Dinnington Town stopper has yet to be beaten in the nine matches he's played this season — equivalent to more than 13 hours of football.

Josh's run spans eight games in the Central Midlands League and a Sheffield Senior Cup win over Oughtibridge.

And, for the 27-year-old, the wonder run marks a highlight since he first pulled on the gloves when he moved to England from America at the age of nine.

“It doesn't matter what level you're at, to keep this amount of successive clean sheets is something to be proud about,” said Josh.

“I have developed a good understanding with my back three. We've played in the same team before at Frecheville and we all trust each other.

“I play higher up the pitch and we build play from the back and when I'm called into action I'm a good shot stopper and I'm good with my feet. It's about commanding my box and supporting my defenders.

“In my last game I only had to make three or four saves. Some of the supporters were singing “You'll never beat the Branchy” and that made me smile.”

Dinnington beat AFC Bentley 1-0 last Saturday to notch their eighth successive league clean sheet. That equals a league record set back in 2001/02 by Shirebrook Town and now the team – and Josh – will look to better it in their next league game against Harworth later this month.

“My previous best was only about four so I'm trying to keep a bit of a run going,” added Josh, whose personal favourite keeper is Tim Howard, the former USA international.

“Dinnington's previous record of successive clean sheets was four or five. I've got that and now I want the league's.

“I'm looking forward to the next game because it’s really important to me to break this league record. I want to do it and I'm loving this run.”

Town manager Gary Eades said: “Josh is an absolute giant of a man but not only that, he's good with his feet and that adds to his game.

“Playing with the three central defenders Rob Shelley, Lewis Twibell and Ben Dronfield, they have stepped up and gelled really well.”