Earning Their Keep

ON Saturday, for the sixth time this season, a goalkeeper made their debut for Plymouth Argyle.

Derby’s Kelle Roos became the latest player to join on an emergency loan, and Derek Adams was happy with the way he came into the side.

“He was very composed last Saturday,” said Derek. “He came into a game where it was a high pressure situation. It was two teams that were in similar positions.”

Derek added his thoughts on the attributes that led to him bringing the Dutchman into the club, as well as the positive first impressions that Kelle made upon signing.

“He’s an experienced goalkeeper for his age,” said Derek. “He’s been out on loan a number of times. He comes across well, he talks well and he understands his position in the team.

“I took him back to the hotel last Friday and he pulled out the programme and he was asking me the names of the players and who everyone was. So from his point of view, that was very professional of him because he’s thinking ahead.”

Kelle has now spent the past week training with the first team squad, a period that Derek believes will help Kelle to continue to impress during his time with the club.

“I think it’s important because coming into any football club is strange,” said Derek.

“He’s got an opportunity now to get to know the players and their names and be in amongst the squad, so he’ll be looking forward to Saturday’s game.”

The news on the other goalkeepers is largely as it was, although there is some progress being shown by Kyle Letheren, who might not be waiting quite as long for a first team return.

“He’s doing a little bit of handling,” said Derek. “He’s still a couple of months away from coming back. He went to the consultant last week and he was happy with the operation. The tendon has now reattached so obviously the operation has made that work.

“He was going to be out for four months but they have revised that and it’s going to be back probably between the three and the four month period.”

Luke McCormick, meanwhile, finds himself awaiting more medical results before a time can be set on him making another first team return.

Derek said: “The consultant’s got to look at the report and report back to our physio to see the extent of the damage. Until the consultant reports back to the physio and the doctor then we just have to wait and see what he says about the scan that he had.”