NEW Chippenham Town goalkeeper Paul Thompson is looking to extend his unblemished goals against record against Dartford in their fifth pre-season friendly on Saturday 27 July.
Thompson has gone six hours without conceding a goal since his £2,500 move from Devizes Town last month and made a number of useful stops as Chippenham held Conference side Yeovil Town to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night.
Clean sheets are the barometer by which all goalkeepers like to be judged, and Thompson is delighted with the start he has made to his Chippenham career. He said: "In the games against Calne and Corsham we weren't tested too much at the back and we also expected Newport IOW to be stronger than they were.
"But on Tuesday I had plenty to do and thought I coped reasonably well. Four clean sheets is a fantastic start for me. I'm paid not to let any goals in and that's happening at the moment."
After the long-running saga prior to his move from neighbours Devizes, Thompson is pleased with the way he has settled into his new surroundings at the Dr Martens Premier Division club. He said: "I'm over the moon. I love the club and the people have been extremely friendly towards me.
"I have fitted in well and the supporters seem to have taken to me. I couldn't have asked for a better start."
The 29-year-old stopper felt his new team mates had performed with distinction against Yeovil on Tuesday night and enjoyed the big match atmosphere generated by the bumper pre-season crowd. He said: "To play in front of 600 people on a horrible, rainy midweek night just shows the commitment of the supporters at Chippenham.
"We gave a good account of ourselves against a team tipped to do well in the Conference this year. "You couldn't see there was a league's difference and at times in the second half we were the better side.
"Their goalkeeper has made some great saves at the end."
Thompson believes an unbeaten pre-season record would be the ideal preparation for the season's opener against Chelmsford City in a little over two weeks' time. He said: "We've got some strong sides to come in Dartford and Basingstoke but things are going exactly to plan from both the players and Tommy's point of view at the moment. We feel really confident.
"You can see the confidence in the players and we're all looking forward to the first game of the season against Chelmsford."
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