Unlikely Heroes

Newcastle’s goalkeeper Steve Harper doesn’t get many chances to perform but showed his worth when Shay Given was injured last season. In the 1445 minutes he played, Newcastle conceded 18 goals. It gives Harper a Defensive Rating of conceding a goal every 80 minutes. Given posted a Defensive Rating of one every 69 minutes.

Harper also pipped his colleague in shot-stopping. He saved 6.67 shots on target for every goal conceded, while Given saved 5.29. Harper had the third best stop-stopping average in the Premiership.

Harper, 32, has been at Newcastle since 1993, making just 51 appearances for the club. The Match of the Day Football Yearbook gives an in-depth breakdown of all goalkeeping records by club and across the divisions.