Town goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski believes he is in the best form of his career and has set himself an ambitious end-of-season target.

Last season the Polish number one kept nine clean sheets in his 20 Championship appearances, including a run of five in eight games, and he is looking to clock up 15 shut-outs in the current campaign.

That will mean hanging on to his status as first choice after last term having to wait until the second half of the season to re-establish himself in the role.

After starting the season in the side Bialkowski was granted compassionate leave following the death of his father in Poland and once he returned he found it difficult to dislodge replacement Dean Gerken.

But manager Mick McCarthy now appears to have settled on Bialkowski as his top keeper, hailing his save from Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw last week, and he is set to resume in goal at Brentford tomorrow having been rested for the midweek home defeat by Stevenage in the first round of the EFL Cup.

Bialkowski, 29, said: “I think 15 clean sheets in a season is realistic and if I did that it would be good. I think I am approaching my peak and my best years are still to come.

“I’m in my prime, I think, and I hope I still have lots of years left. I am gaining experience — I’ve played lots of games — and I really believe I can only get better. I am really looking forward and I am excited.

“This is the best time of my career. When I came back into the team last season, in February, I was feeling really good and I finished the season really strongly.

“I just want to carry on. I had a good pre-season, I’m feeling ready for it and I’m really excited about this season.

“When you are in good form you sometimes go out for games thinking you are virtually unbeatable. Obviously, when you make a save it gives you extra confidence and you feel unbeatable.

“But you are obviously not going to save every shot and you are going to make some mistakes.

“You just need to accept that and learn from it, and you need to make sure these mistakes don’t happen too often. It’s all about staying confident and focusing.”

McCarthy has said Bialkowski consistently impresses him in training as he defies the likes of Daryl Murphy, David McGoldrick, Freddie Sears and Brett Pitman with a string of top saves.

The Pole added: “I always try to give 100 per cent in every session. Unless you do that you are not going to get better but that goes for all the players.

“Everyone here likes to put everything into the sessions and it’s not like I am stopping every shot in training — that would be impossible.

“But when you have good strikers, as we have, it is good work for me as well when I try to stop them.

“The better the strikers you face in training, the more benefit there is for the goalkeeper, and working with these guys has helped to make me a better goalkeeper. We carry a real threat up front and there is strong competition for places.

“They are all good strikers and finishers. Freddie Sears, for example, is an amazing finisher. I know he hasn’t scored in a while but last season Murph was waiting for a few games before he scored.

“I am sure the goals will come for Searsy. He is doing other great work on the pitch, running a lot and chasing everything, and sometimes it just takes a bit of luck — a simple tap-in maybe — and then he is fine again.”

Photo: TWTD

JCBLUE added 07:00 - Aug 12 Bart might be contributing to our lack of goals up front, perhaps he should let a few more in during training to build our strikers confidence?!! 😂😂😂
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Bluebell added 08:22 - Aug 12 They have Gerken to do that JC.
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TimmyH added 12:19 - Aug 12 Unfortunately Bart you have a defense in front of you that is slowly shipping more goals each season the longer McCarthy has been here...15 clean sheets might be a tall order.
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DBaldy added 12:37 - Aug 12 It's possible, but will depend on the back 4 as much as Bart.
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