Milton Keynes Dons have played some of their best football since the turn of the year, and the performances of goalkeeper Jamie Cumming have been a huge contributing factor.
The Dons find themselves third in League One entering the month of March, tied on points with Wigan Athletic in second place, and with some of the team's best defensive efforts since 2022 began.
The year started with the disappointing departure of incumbent number one Andrew Fisher, along with third-choice Laurie Walker, and questions were immediately raised over the future for the team between the sticks.
Franco Ravizzoli stepped up to face arch-rivals AFC Wimbledon and has become something of a cult hero amongst the fanbase as a result, but the need for a legitimate first-choice keeper was clear for all to see.
Then the Dons snatched 22-year-old Jamie Cumming on loan from Premier League club Chelsea after the young stopper's strong spell with fellow League One side Gillingham during the first half of the campaign.
Fast forward through Cumming's first ten games with the Dons, and things are looking as good as they have all season.
Since making his debut in the 2-1 away victory against Portsmouth, Cumming has already kept five clean sheets, already eclipsing his record at Gillingham, and has conceded just five goals in total.
The solid performances from the Winchester, Hampshire native has been highlighted by a number of superb, and often very athletic, saves that have kept opponents at bay and secured the Dons 23 points in his first ten games as well as seeing them on a run of eight games unbeaten at the time of writing.
In the team's 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday (26th February), Cumming was once again called into making a stunning save that kept Liam Manning's side out of dangers - tipping a strong Ricardo Santos header onto the crossbar with the score still close at 1-0.
Manning himself is pleased with what he has seen from Cumming since his arrival in January, and believes his performances give confidence to the players in front of him.
When asked about Cumming's form, and the spectacular tipped save, after the match, Manning commented: "Really good save. Jay's done really well. He's like the group in terms of really consistent emotionally, he doesn't get too high or too low."
"He's been huge for us, you see right at the end of the game coming and taking a cross off the set piece; it's one he has to keep doing, he has to keep being brave."
He concluded: "It gives such a level of confidence to the guys in front of him, so he's been really good and the challenge for any of the guys we've got is keep churning out consistent performances, which he has done so far."
