Town keeper Christian Walton is hoping to celebrate a significant career landmark at former club Plymouth Argyle on Sunday with a big performance to extend the leaders’ unbeaten start to the season to 10 games.
The Blues’ travel to Devon to face the third-placed Pilgrims, for whom the incentive is that victory will take them above both Kieran McKenna’s team and second-placed Portsmouth, who are out of action because of international call-ups that saw their scheduled game at home to Bolton postponed.
Walton, who will be clocking up his 200th career league appearance, confirmed that he and his colleagues will be heading to the west country in a positive frame of mind, last week’s 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday doing nothing to dent the confidence in the camp, even if they led 2-0 in South Yorkshire with only 15 minutes left to play.
The 26-year-old said: "It didn’t take too long to get over the disappointment of only taking one point at Hillsborough because we had the game on Tuesday against Arsenal U21 in the Papa Johns Trophy and it was important that we won that one.
"There wasn’t really any time to dwell on the Sheffield Wednesday game but you have to remember we didn’t lose that one, although it might have felt like that afterwards after they scored two late goals.
"I don’t think the manager would accept that attitude, if you like, around the place. Win, lose or draw, we remain positive and move on to the next one, with everyone in the squad looking to improve in training between the games.”
Walton praised second choice keeper Vaclav Hladky, who has kept clean sheets in each of his appearances in the Papa Johns Trophy this season, the 6-0 win over Northampton last month being followed by a 2-0 victory in midweek to all but ensure the club’s place in the knockout phase ahead of the final group game at Cambridge United next month.
He said: "It’s the same for every goalkeeper, you can train as much as you want, but having a game at the end of the week or whenever, is really big for any keeper.
"It’s a chance to put what you do in training into practice and making sure you are ready to put in a performance to build on what we have achieved in the league.
"I’ve been there myself earlier in my career, where you’re not playing regularly in the league, and it’s not always easy. Vaclav has done well.”
Asked about making the occasion special at Home Park on Sunday, Walton added: "It’s a really good achievement and something I’m really pleased about. As a young goalkeeper, it’s not always easy to rack up a lot of games because it’s just one position, whereas outfield players can play different roles.
"I was fortunate enough to get out on loan at a young age and I’ve built on that season upon season really. Since I’ve been here, I’ve played a number of consecutive games and, touch wood, I’ll be able to keep that ticking over.
"It will be a little bit emotional I suppose. It’s obviously a place where I grew up and supported the club, watching a lot of football before joining Plymouth and starting my career there. I had some really good times there. They have moved on since then and it’s good to see them making progress.
"To go back to the club I grew up supporting, and to make my 200th career league appearance, is obviously a big thing for me.
"If someone had offered me this chance, I’d have bitten their hand off. It’s funny how things work out but the most important thing is that we take the three points.”
Walton, who moved from Argyle to Brighton almost nine years ago, has accumulated his tally of 199 league appearances with three for the Seagulls and in loan spells with Bury (4), Plymouth (4), Luton (27), Southend (7) Wigan (31), Wigan again (34) and Blackburn (46), as well as Town, where his total currently stands at 43.
In that time, he has kept 71 clean sheets, 19 for the Blues, which includes five in his nine League One outings.
His best season to date came on loan at Wigan in 2017/18 when his 19 clean sheets in 31 appearances not only earned him the League One Golden Glove award but also helped the Latics to win the League One title and promotion to the Championship. No doubt he would welcome a repeat of that achievement in the current campaign.
Reminiscing about his childhood in Wadebridge, Cornwall, and how he supported Plymouth long before signing for them, Walton recalled how he approached then Argyle number one Romain Larrieu and invited him round to his house for a kickabout in the back garden.
Speaking on a Blue Monday podcast in December last year, he said: "He was my favourite goalkeeper and I lived for him, really. I did school projects about Romain Larrieu and I was fanatical about him like any kid is with football.
"When I was about five or six, I drew a picture of him and gave it to him after a game and invited him to my house to play football. He turned up a week later and we played football in the garden. It was mental. He stayed for a roast dinner.
"Then, when I was 16, he was still the goalkeeper and became Plymouth’s goalkeeping coach, so it all came full circle.”
He added today: "It’s a funny story and I kept in contact with him for a long time. It was unbelievable that he turned up.
"He was the reason I became a goalkeeper and I think he’s going to be at the game on Sunday. Times have changed and I don’t think I would be allowed to visit someone’s house now for health and safety reasons.”
Not surprisingly, Walton makes a habit of focusing on goalkeepers when he sits down at home to football on TV, adding: "I watch a lot of football and a lot of goalkeeping. The Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, is my standout keeper but I take bits from all goalies at the top level if I think they will improve my game.”