STAR stopper Ryan Allsop will tomorrow bid to carve his name in Cherries' history when he steps out against Championship big guns Watford at Vicarage Road.
Goalkeeper Allsop, who is known to his team-mates as Rocky, will be hoping to keep a club record sixth consecutive away clean sheet in the league.
The 21-year-old has not conceded a goal on the road since arriving at Dean Court in January, his five successive shutouts helping Cherries clinch promotion at the end of last season.
His heroics included a star turn during the 1-0 win at Stevenage and saving a penalty in a 1-0 victory at Oldham on his way to keeping a first clean sheet in the club's history at Boundary Park.
Allsop, who has kept seven clean sheets in 12 league and cup appearances for Cherries, has already matched a feat achieved by the late Ken Bird in 1947-48.
Bird's run started with a 2-0 win against Southend on Boxing Day 1947, the legendary goalkeeper going on to keep his fifth in a 3-0 victory against Watford at Vicarage Road.
Allsop, who is due to make his first visit to the Hertfordshire venue, told the Daily Echo: “I go into every game wanting to keep a clean sheet. Goals change games and momentum, especially when you are away from home. As a team, we have to go into every game thinking we are not going to concede.
“Sometimes, you can be on the back foot away from home so you have to adapt. You have to defend from the front and our strikers are a huge part of that because we defend as a unit.
“We are pleased with the run of away clean sheets and it is a great team effort. For me, the penalty save at Oldham and Stevenage, where we were under the cosh, stand out. It was great to grind out wins and they were massive victories towards getting promotion.”
Allsop knows Cherries will need to be on their mettle against Watford who were pipped for a place in the Premier League after losing last season's Championship play-off final to Crystal Palace.
He added: “We know it is going to be a tough game. We respect every opposition and go into every game with the same attitude. We have got to try our best and try to grind out a positive result.”
Cherries' goalkeeper coach Neil Moss kept seven successive clean sheets in 1995-96, including two in the FA Cup and one in the Auto Windscreens Shield.
FAMOUS FIVE
Ken Bird 1947-48
26 Dec 1947 - Southend 2-0
24 Jan 1948 Norwich - 1-0
31 Jan 1948 Bristol City - 4-0
14 Feb Walsall - 0-0
28 Feb Watford - 3-0
Ryan Allsop
12 Mar 2013 Stevenage - 1-0
16 Mar 2013 Oldham - 1-0
29 Mar 2013 Colchester - 1-0
13 Apr 2013 Shrewsbury - 3-0
27 Apr 2013 Tranmere - 0-0
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