Gilmartin vows to become No 1
Walsall goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin has vowed to become the Saddlers' long-term number one and return stronger after shipping five goals on his comeback.
Walsall goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin has vowed to become the Saddlers' long-term number one and return stronger after shipping five goals on his comeback.
The No 1 made his first start since October in the 5-1 defeat at Southampton on Saturday after boss Chris Hutchings dropped goalkeeper Clayton Ince.
After the St Mary's mauling Gilmartin is more determined than ever to become the Saddlers' main man.
He said: "It's mine to lose, the aim is to keep the shirt, get a new contract and then keep the shirt for next season. I have to keep the jersey and keep playing well.
"I'm in there and I want to play well. If I make mistakes I deal with them positively but every keeper will make them. The gaffer has given it to me, he said I've worked hard in training and I'm delighted he's seen it.
"Coming back into the team you want to do well and get a clean sheet but there's not much you can do sometimes, Saturday hurts me more than anyone."
Ince was dropped by Hutchings after a series of costly errors and Gilmartin, who was beaten by Jason Puncheon, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Lee Barnard's brace, says his rival still has a role to play at the Saddlers.
He said: "The fans love Clayton and he's done so much for the club. To bypass him is a massive thing, that's the standard you get here. I've no doubt if I was at a different club I would have played a long time ago."
But Gilmartin offered no excuses for Saturday's defeat, which came after Matt Richards' early opener, and says the Saddlers cannot blame their hectic February fixture list.
He said: "It was a tough month for them but we're in the same position, they were playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday so it's not an excuse.
"I'm sure they've played as many games as us but look at our resources compared to theirs, we do very well for what we have.
"The young players we bring through are brilliant, all the young lads have to learn and we will. Every game is a test for us, if you're marking Saturday's test we get an F, against Leeds we got an A."
