The 'special' Portsmouth talent who made the save of the season at Peterborough

There is something ‘special’ about Alex Bass.
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That is the verdict of former Watford keeper Richard Lee, who’s been highly impressed with young keeper since breaking his way into Pompey's starting line-up.

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The 21-year-old has featured in every League One game since dislodging the Scot at Gillingham on New Year’s Day.

During that period, he’s registered six clean sheets and has the highest save percentage in the top four divisions of English football.

Bass’ best performance to date arrived in Pompey’s 2-0 defeat at Peterborough last month.

Kenny Jackett's men were indebted to the academy graduate, with his string of saves ensuring the scoreline wasn’t more emphatic in the Posh's favour.

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One stop he made from Ivan Toney at point-blank range was dubbed the save of the season by Lee.

Peterborough's Siriki Dembele (10) is stopped by Alex Bass during Pompey's loss at London Road last week. Picture: Simon DaviesPeterborough's Siriki Dembele (10) is stopped by Alex Bass during Pompey's loss at London Road last week. Picture: Simon Davies
Peterborough's Siriki Dembele (10) is stopped by Alex Bass during Pompey's loss at London Road last week. Picture: Simon Davies

And the former England under-20 international explained it wasn't purely down to Bass’ reactions.

Speaking on the Goalkeepers' Union podcast, Lee said: ‘League One is my favourite league this season. It's just incredible.

‘It looks like Coventry are looking good for promotion, but certainly after that who knows what is going to happen.

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‘You mentioned Craig MacGillivray, who was the former No1 and was called up to the Scotland squad several times as well.

‘He was progressing so nicely and looked like one of the best goalkeepers in that league.

‘To make the decision to play Alex Bass ahead (of MacGillivray) was a big decision from the manager but I think we’re starting to see there is something a bit special about this lad.

‘That save, I don’t know if you can physically react from that distance. He (Toney) has absolutely smashed it above his head, so I think this is a mixture of brilliant reactions but also reading the game.

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‘The ball is coming in from wide, the striker is going to get there first and there is almost a bit of prediction.

‘You're four or five yards out and can’t necessarily react, so you've got to predict where they are going to go.

‘I think it was a blend of incredible reactions but also incredible knowledge of the game looking at the ball coming in, reading the body shape and semi-predicting where the shot is going to go.

‘I haven’t seen a better save all season, genuinely. This is by far the best reaction save I've seen all season.’

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