Town goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen hopes to be remembered for more reasons than just his height after becoming the tallest player in Premier League history last weekend.

After taking to the field during the Blues’ opening-day victory over Sunderland, 6ft 9in keeper Scherpen broke the record previously held by former Black Cats stopper Costel Pantilimon.

It was a Premier League debut for Town’s new glovesman, having been signed over the summer for an initial £8.5 million from Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

While he enjoyed making history and sees his height as an advantage, Scherpen says he wants to make his own mark as a successful goalkeeper for the Blues and help keep the club in the top flight.

“It’s a good record to have,” he said. “But I hope they will remember me not just for my height but because I'm a good goalkeeper and make loads of saves. That will satisfy me more.

“My height, of course, is a big positive. I always go out for the positives. Obviously there’s things that I have to do differently to a goalkeeper who is six feet or even smaller, but on the other hand, I have to shape my own way of goalkeeping and can’t look too much to others because they’re not in the same body as me.

“We work really well with it, we try to take every part of the game that fits best to my body and my length. Out of that, I can be massive in goal and a really annoying guy for strikers.”

Progressing into senior football in his native Netherlands, Scherpen came through the youth ranks at hometown club FC Emmen, where he made 36 appearances before being snapped up by European giants Ajax at the age of 19.

That was despite Scherpen growing up as a supporter of bitter rivals Feyenoord, which led to an amusing signing video which emerged on Ajax’s social media feeds when he put pen to paper.

However, the former Dutch youth international was not always a goalkeeper in his younger days.

He said: “I started outfield, but soon at six, seven, eight, we needed a goalkeeper in a tournament. I stepped in, never really went out, and now we’re here.

“Obviously I was bigger than everybody else, but not massive. When I was 15 or 16, I started really quick. Every month, a couple of inches attached and I was getting bigger and bigger. Reaching two metres was a big thing and I thought I'm fine here, but I got a couple more.”

It is difficult to avoid the discussion of Scherpen’s extreme height, where he stands in the 99.99th percentile, or in an exclusive group of around one in 10,000 people.

Quizzed on how often he is asked about it, the 26-year-old said: “Literally every day. I was quite surprised when I got back to the UK, it was even more than I used to, everybody saying ‘you’re tall’.

“It’s something I’ve witnessed already for a couple of years and I'm used to it. It’s the first thing people say or people think, so for me it can get a bit annoying but it is what it is. I just have to duck through every door I go, and that’s life.

“The other day was actually funny when we played Leicester. I'm in the Conor Chaplin’s house and he said make sure you look after my ceiling. When I saw Conor, I knew why I have to duck everywhere in the house! That was quite funny.

“The most common things are if I play basketball, but when I play basketball I’m not even the tallest.”

When asked if there are any goalkeepers he admired growing up, there was one clear answer.

“Obviously from the Netherlands, [Edwin] van der Sar,” Scherpen said. “He also brought me to Ajax, so that was really special and he is someone to look up to.

“Still active is Manuel Neuer, who set the mark for goalkeepers and changed the game. Loads of examples, but those are the main ones for me.”

Last weekend’s victory over Sunderland saw six of Gary O’Neil’s starting XI make their Town debut, alongside a second debut for the returning Julio Enciso.

As one of the players to also make their Premier League bow, Scherpen admitted it was a moment to cherish.

He said: “Really special. A special feeling walking out for the first time at a sold-out Portman Road. Premier League debut, a really nice day, especially how the game ended with the win and three points to start back in the Premier League. It couldn’t be better, so I was really pleased with it and it was really enjoyable.

“They told me, especially the last game against QPR, the atmosphere was electric. This was the feeling I got when I walked out before the game.

“It was a really nice atmosphere, the fans did great and gave us even more energy to get everything our way on the first day back in the Prem. All together, we did a great job.

“We have lots of new faces around here. To get everything together in the right spot says a lot about our team, our qualities and the togetherness we have in the team. That’s really important to keep it going for the rest of the season.”

The challenge of being back among England’s elite is emphasised by the Blues’ next two fixtures, where they travel to Manchester United on Sunday before welcoming Liverpool to Suffolk under the lights next Friday night.

Town make the trip to Old Trafford this weekend aiming for a first victory on the Red Devils’ turf since 1984 and condemn Michael Carrick’s side to back-to-back defeats at the start of the campaign.

For Scherpen, he hopes to use his previous experiences of playing against top sides in European competition to his advantage ahead of some of the more eye-watering league fixtures to come.

“The last two seasons I’ve got Champions League experience,” he said. “Those teams are Champions League games. I’m happy I can almost get Champions League games every week now.

“I’m really looking forward to it, starting with Sunday, going to Old Trafford to play there is a dream and it will be really nice to get that game in. Then Liverpool at home, every week is an amazing moment and something to be proud of.

“For us, it’s easier because we know it’s our job and we have to perform and get a good performance in. Like last weekend, it’s an enjoyable moment to walk out at a sold-out stadium for the first time, being at this club, Premier League debut.

“Those things you take in, but when the ref blows the whistle, you have to be there and focused. When the performance is there, you automatically get the enjoyment of being in that stadium and being in the Premier League.”

Photo: TWTD