Middlesbrough goalkeeper Zach Hemming continued his magical form as his temporary club St Mirren extended their unbeaten start and moved to second in the Scottish Premiership.
Saints boss Stephen Robinson hailed the Boro keeper ‘outstanding’ as he gave his post-match interview via the St Mirren website. “Overall some good performances, I thought Zach Hemming was outstanding, he pushes the ball onto the crossbar, Alex Gogic and Scott Tanser obviously aswell.”
The clean sheet will have pleased Robinson, who has only had good things to say about Hemming this season. St Mirren’s form has been admirable so far, keeping the likes of Rangers, Hearts and-the team they beat one-nil on Saturday-Motherwell behind them.
Hemming is no stranger to Scottish football, having enjoyed spells north of the border previously with Kilmarnock. It could be interesting to see whether Boro are tempted to test the credentials of the 23-year-old next season, as his progression continues to impress. With him and Sol Brynn (22) excelling, the goalkeeper spot is surely one of interest for the recruitment team. They will surely have teams monitoring their situation.
Mixed performances
Ironically, as Middlesbrough continue to struggle defensively, the players who are impressing the most on loan elsewhere are goalkeeper’s, with Liam Roberts impressing at Yorkshire club Barnsley and Sol Brynn looking the part at Leyton Orient.
Liam Roberts’ Barnsley won 2-0 at home to Burton Albion on Saturday, with Roberts earning a clean sheet, although it was a more disappointing performance in midweek as the Tykes succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to Portsmouth, with Roberts giving away a penalty in the process.
Meanwhile, Sol Brynn has enjoyed playing for Leyton Orient who managed four points in their last two away games, with a 2-1 win against Exeter followed by a 1-1 draw with Peterborough.
Elsewhere, Matthew Hoppe only made the substitutes bench as San Jose Earthquakes won 2-1 against Real Salt Lake.
Jack Stott, the central midfielder who had such an impressive pre-season for Boro, has not featured in the last two matchday squads for his loan club York City, making only two appearances overall for the Minstermen so far.