George Wickens says the whole team deserve credit for the defensive stability which saw him claim the Sky Bet League One Golden Glove.
A clean sheet in the 2-0 win at Port Vale was enough to finish joint top of the clean sheets table, alongside Stevenage’s Filip Marschall.
Wickens said: “We spoke about it a lot before the game - it was a massive target, along with making sure we stayed unbeaten.
“In games like this, where there’s maybe less at stake, it can be easy to drop your levels. But this squad hasn’t done that all season, and today was no different. That’s why we’ve managed to win the game, keep the clean sheet and come away with the award.
“Receiving this is a great honour, but as with anything in this sport it is all about teamwork - and the players in front of me - all across the pitch - have all played a part in this.
“The whole coaching and support team at the Gen2 Energy Elite Performance Centre have given us all the resources and backing to achieve what we have this season, though Scott Fry and David Preece deserve a mention having worked most closely with the goalkeepers. Zach Jeacock and Jamie Pardington have formed a brilliant goalkeepers’ union and I’m proud of our success as a club this season.”
Reflecting on his second campaign at the club following his move from Fulham, Wickens admitted the scale of the team’s achievements had exceeded expectations.
He added: “Realistically, at the start of the season, we probably would have said the play-offs were the aim. We believed we could do that, but to go above and beyond - over 100 points, 29 games unbeaten, 19 clean sheets - it’s incredible. It’s been an unbelievable season, and we’re going to enjoy it.
“But, more importantly, it’s about the experience for the team and the fans. They’ve been brilliant all season, travelling in huge numbers. Even in the final game you could see how much it means to them. They deserve those bigger away days next year just as much as we do.”
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