Boss Mick McCarthy has praised “terrific” goalkeeper-coach Malcolm Webster for getting the best from Blues keepers Dean Gerken and Bartosz Bialkowski.

Former Arsenal, Fulham, Southend and Cambridge United glovesman Webster initially joined Town under George Burley’s management and also worked with the Scot at Colchester, Derby, Hearts and Southampton.

Webster, who celebrates his 65th birthday on Thursday, rejoined the Town staff under Paul Jewell’s management in 2011 and stayed on after McCarthy took over three years ago.

He first spotted Bialkowski when he spent time on trial with Hearts before he eventually joined Burley and Webster with the Saints, while he had previously worked with Gerken when he was a youngster with the U’s.

“It’s a vital relationship,” the Town boss said. “When we were choosing the goalkeepers I would lean heavily on Malcolm for that because it’s a really specific role and you need somebody who knows all about it.

“And both with Gerks and with Bart they were the ones that [he said] really, definitely sign those two. He had a big part in that.

“He knew them both as well so they wanted to come and work with him as well. He’s a terrific coach and he gets the best out of them. We’ve got two really good keepers.”

For Gerken, it’s been a few weeks in which he's gone from zero to hero in some fans' eyes, keeping back to back clean sheets against Cardiff and Bolton having been widely criticised for his part in Nottingham Forest’s last-gasp equaliser.

“You could say the same about me, couldn’t you?” McCarthy reflected. “That’s just football.

“Gerks, I just cannot believe that anybody has doubted him because he has actually kept us in games.

“I was asked a question at the Supporters Club AGM about being loyal [to him] and I met that chap who asked it the other night and I said ‘What about Gerks?’ and he said ‘I owe him an apology, I think’.

“I said ‘Yes, you do, you shouldn’t have been asking me the question anyway’. He’s terrific. I said the other day, we’ve got two really top, top class goalkeepers and it’s just sad that one of them has to sit it out.”

Photo: Action Images

Warkys_Tash added 12:59 - Nov 13 @Chrishants Maybe we should bring back Parkes then..
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