Aaron Chapman aims to build on first Iron clean sheet

Goalkeeper Aaron Chapman reflected on his first Iron clean sheet and looks to build on the solid defensive display and victory over Altrincham.

The 32-year-old celebrated his first shutout since joining the club from Stevenage last month and he praised the players in front of him, which resulted in the shot stopper having very little to do on the night.

Speaking to Iron Player after the game, he said: “It’s been a long time coming to keep a clean sheet on a personal note. It’s not just me that keeps the clean sheet, it’s the whole team.

“They’re the best ones. I’d rather keep a clean sheet and have nothing to do. The fans help with that. They’re always behind you, so it’s easy to remain focused when you’ve got them behind you.

“It’s always nice to win. We need to keep this momentum going and move onto the next game.”

Labelled as a must-win game by first team manager Jimmy Dean, Chapman alluded to the importance of the game and attaining three points.

“You could see by the first half, there were a couple of nerves there,” he continued. 

“We started well, they grew into the game, which is always going to happen. With how the goals have been going in against us recently, we’ve been unlucky, so we got in at 0-0 at half-time, we knew that we’ve got the power up at the top of the pitch to get goals.

“It’s always nice to get that luck. The second goal, it was so nice to see the lino’s flag go up.

United are without a fixture at the weekend with the away fixture at York City called off due to the Minstermen’s progression in the FA Trophy. After a series of Saturday-Tuesday games, Chapman feels the rest will be beneficial.

“It’s a bit of both. We want to keep the momentum going, but it’s just the weekend that we’re missing, so we can get back on the training ground and gel some more. Only good can from that,” he stated.

“It’s always nice to have a break. Some of the boys that have come in, including myself, have not played that many games, so it’s probably a good thing to get a rest. I’ve settled in great, the boys and the gaffer have been very welcoming. It was a long time coming, I wanted to come here a couple of years ago.

“We’ve got ten games left, and every game is massive, especially where we are. If we can perform like that for a longer period, I’m sure we will be in a good place.”