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More on KentOnline
Goalkeeper Glenn Morris starred for Gillingham on Saturday and would be getting a new deal if his current manager had a say.
John Coleman’s only on a contract to manage the Gills until the end of this season but he didn’t have to think long when asked if he’d want Morris with him for another campaign.
“Oh yeah, 100%,” said Coleman. Morris, like his manager, is out of contract at the end of this season.
“You’d have him in the club, you’d have him for his presence.”
Morris kept his 11th clean sheet in the league this season on Saturday to keep out leaders Walsall. Saturday’s game finished goalless.
He made a double save early in the second half and an even better close-range block in the same half while also providing a calming presence behind his defenders.
“He's a very, very good goalkeeper,” said Coleman of the 41-year-old.
“When you get to work with him, you can see the influence he can have.
“He's calm, he makes the right decisions most of the time, which is a good trait to have. He doesn't panic.
“He's just a good person to be around, in training and in the dressing room.”
Morris’ agility in goal suggests he still has plenty more to offer. He’s close to making his 100th appearance for the Gills – now on 98 – and could make many more.
Coleman was asked how long the keeper could go on for.
He said: “Who knows - he’s Dorian Gray isn’t he!?
“It has surprised me how fit he is to be fair.
“I've come across a lot of old goalkeepers. I'm not being disrespectful because I'm older but I've never seen anyone in this condition.
“He's got an unbelievable physique. Great character. He's someone that you want in a dressing room. Level-headed. Humble fellow. Really nice person as well as being a very, very good goalkeeper.
“If he keeps playing like that, he's got a lot more games in.”
Morris signed a new one-year deal last May. He has played 31 times this season and has kept 11 clean sheets, five of those coming since mid-February.
