GOALKEEPER Ryan ‘Rocky’ Allsop says he is determined to win a frantic race against time as he bids to retain his crown as Cherries’ undisputed number one.

Allsop, who had been sidelined for almost three weeks, made an encouraging return when he kept a clean sheet during Cherries’ 1-0 win at Dorchester on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old had been restricted to a watching brief after sustaining a thigh injury in the first half of Cherries’ 2-0 defeat by FC Zurich earlier this month.

Allsop established himself as first choice after starring in a club record run of eight successive wins and keeping five consecutive away clean sheets at the end of last season.

A free transfer from Leyton Orient in January, Allsop, who appeared in the final 10 games of Cherries’ promotion campaign, is battling for a place with Darryl Flahavan and Shwan Jalal.

And with Cherries tomorrow due to bring down the curtain on their first-team friendlies, Allsop knows he will need to continue to stake his claim with a solid showing against Bristol City at Dean Court (3pm).

He told the Daily Echo: “It was good to get through 90 minutes at Dorchester and to keep a clean sheet. With one match left, it would be nice to get more game time but that will be up to the manager. If he chooses me, I will be ready. I want minutes but so do the other two goalkeepers.

“It is good to have healthy competition and they are both brilliant to work with. We are all fighting for the shirt and have to be on our mettle every day. It was a bad time for me to get injured but these things happen. It has been a case of doing everything properly, getting in my rehab and getting back to full fitness.

“It is a balance because you can’t push it and run the risk of aggravating the injury but you have also got to try to get in your fitness. I made sure I was fully fit and ready to come back and got a valuable 90 minutes under my belt at Dorchester. I feel fit and ready to go.”

Allsop, who kept six clean sheets in his 10 appearances for Cherries last season, was philosophical about missing the club’s prestigious friendly against Real Madrid: “It is disappointing to miss any game but the most important thing for me was to get fit and make sure I was fully right.

“It would have been nice to play but there is a bigger game against Charlton on the first day of the season and my job is to make sure I am fit for selection because, if the manager picks me, I have got to be ready. I would love to start as number one but that will be down to the manager and how he thinks we have all performed over pre-season.”