Mansfield Town defender Elliott Hewitt has hailed Stags’ number one Nathan Bishop as ‘probably the best goalkeeper I’ve played with’, when speaking at a news conference earlier today.
Bishop, 22, has made a huge impression since signing on loan from Manchester United last summer.
The former Southend man helped Stags to victory last Friday at home to Exeter City with a string of fine saves.
And when asked about the in-form shot-stopper, Hewitt said: “He’s probably the best goalkeeper that I’ve played with, especially in terms of shot-stopping.
“I think his potential is wherever he wants to take himself, but he is probably the best professional that I’ve ever seen as well.
“He’s always the first in and the last out [at the training ground].
“He doesn’t eat chocolate; he doesn’t drink alcohol. He’s the perfect professional and hopefully he’ll go right to the top.”
The defender reflected on yet another victory – Stags’ tenth in a row at home in the league - when the amber and blue beat Exeter 2-1 last week.
“It was good to get the three points and go above them [Exeter], so it was positive,” said Hewitt.
“We fancy ourselves against anyone, but I would say Exeter is the best we have played, especially at home.
“Unfortunately, some results did not go our way over the weekend, but we have still got those games in hand and hopefully we can win them.”
The defender is one of the most improved players this season, and after a self-confessed poor start, has been a mainstay in the Stags’ side.
“It has been up and down [the season].
“I had a pretty poor start and suppose I was quite lucky in a sense as injuries were sort of the reason I kept my place.”
The 27-year-old also highlighted the importance of the fans in helping the players secure positive results throughout the season.
“They’ve been massive this season, more so at the start of the season when things were not going our way and they were sticking with us.
“Now, there has been a few games where we have been 2-0 up and when we got back to 2-2 against Hartlepool. The fans push us on and bring us back into the game.”
With 700 tickets sold ahead of the clash against Tranmere Rovers this Friday, the defender knows the importance of the away support.
“It is what we need for the rest of the season.
“They were massive at Bradford as there were 16,000 home fans but all I could hear was the away fans so hopefully they can continue that for the rest of the season.”
Watch the full-back's news conference in full by clicking here.
