Originally Posted by
jackal2
It's too early to say for certain whether Ross Fitzsimons can step up to be permanent No.1, but as I said on another thread I think there's a few fans building an early narrative that he's not good enough, based on pretty flimsy evidence.
In his first couple of games after replacing Adam Collin last season he looked nervous especially when coming for crosses, but after that he settled down really well, to the point where nobody was really panicking about when Collin would be fit again. In fact, if Fitz hadn't kicked an opposing forward up the backside and got suspended, he had a fair claim to keeping the shirt ahead of Collin even when he returned. Collin himself was only a sub for Carlisle on Saturday by the way.
In pre-season, Fitz made a couple of errors that have been seized upon by those wanting a direct replacement for Collin, and on Saturday he had one dodgy moment with a slow kick out, but he recovered that mistake and went on to keep a clean sheet, catching three or four good crosses/corners in the process.
Yes, I understand the doubts that he's relatively inexperienced and has only previously played non-league football, but fans needs to remember that the wages freed up by releasing Collin will have gone a fair way to allowing us to sign the likes of Dennis and Hemmings. What Fitzsimons needs is a bit of patience and backing from the fans, and if he settles into the role like he did last season and gains in confidence and experience, he could prove to be very good value. Give the lad a fair chance.