Brian Maher has been hailed as “one of the best” young goalkeepers when it comes to having the ball at his feet.
Modern goalkeeping is about much more than shot-stopping - and Mark Connolly reckons Derry City have one of the best distributors he has seen.
“Brian is a superb keeper. On top of being a good keeper, he is a really good lad, a grounded boy,” said the former Dundee United defender.
READ MORE: Conor McGregor's sister Erin enjoys anniversary dinner at Black Forge Inn with partner Terry
“He is probably one of the best I’ve seen with the ball at his feet, and that’s even having been across the water.
“His distribution of the ball with his feet is absolutely incredible.
“And he is building confidence with the clean sheet thing, he is buying into that and he is desperate to get as many clean sheets as he can.
“Keepers are judged on how many clean sheets they have and I think Brian is up there now in the league, or certainly close to Alan Mannus.
“As a goalkeeper he has all the attributes to get to the very top and I would love to see him at Derry City for as long as we can keep him.
“He has been fantastic for Derry and for the Irish Under-21s. We were devastated that they couldn’t get it done against Israel (in the Euro play-offs), because I thought they were brilliant.
“He is the definition of the new era of keepers. His passing sometimes, you could nearly stick him in midfield, his passing is that good.
“And he is growing in confidence everyday, which is remarkable because he is still only a young lad.
“Goalkeepers at that age, a lot of them probably aren’t playing, but it’s brilliant to see Brian playing week in, week out. Long may it continue.”
READ NEXT:
Irish coach Christy Holly accused of sexual misconduct in US women's league
Limerick GAA insist relationship with JP McManus remains strong despite rift rumours
Eric Donovan coy on IABA High-performance director role vacancy
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
