Tom Batty had more than just a win to celebrate on Sunday.
The Southern United goalkeeper recorded his first clean sheet of the season to help his side beat Wellington Phoenix 1-0 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Clean sheets have been about as hard to come by as wins since Batty started playing for Southern United in 2013.
The 27-year-old managed two of them in last year's ASB Premiership, and had to wait until Southern United's third game at the weekend to notch another one this season.
''Loved it. About time,'' Batty said.
Batty, who is originally from Christchurch, played four seasons for Canterbury United before moving to Dunedin two years ago.
He made the move south after his wife, Jess, took a job as a speech language therapist at Dunedin Hospital.
Batty did an electrical apprenticeship when he lived in Christchurch and now works for Aotea Electric.
''I love Dunedin at the moment; it's a nice easy lifestyle,'' he said.
''I love playing for Southern. It's a good atmosphere, good bunch of lads and playing in the summer is brilliant.''
Minus a mistake in the first few minutes of the season-opening 2-0 loss to Waitakere United, Batty has been tidy in goal through three games.
''There was a wee deflection,'' Batty said when asked about the mistake.
''I still should have got it, but I got too much on it and it sort of fell into the back of the net. It's what deflections do; they freak you out to begin with.''
Batty made a couple of good saves to preserve his team's 1-0 lead against Wellington Phoenix at the weekend, while he could not do much about the three goals conceded against Hawkes Bay last weekend.
Spending 90 minutes a game in goal has not always been the case for Batty.
He used to play in a variety of positions, before a goalkeeper shortage resulted in his giving it a go when he was a year 13 pupil at Burnside High School.
''We didn't have a keeper and Dad was coach. He chucked me in and I've never looked back,'' he said.
''I enjoy stopping goals. It's what you do it for. I find it just as enjoyable as scoring them. But obviously the down side is there is a lot of pressure on you and your mistakes are goals.
''If you make a mistake, people remember them.''
Batty, who plays for Dunedin Technical during the club winter season, will get a chance to shine in front of more people than usual on Sunday.
Southern United's match against Waikato-Bay of Plenty at Forsyth Barr Stadium is being televised live on Sky Sport.
It is the first of five televised games it will play in this season, something Batty admits will add pressure.
''It will be interesting for us. Hopefully, we step up and cherish it,'' he said.
''Waikato-Bay of Plenty are playing pretty well. They seem to have some good strikers and are good going forward. Hopefully, our defence sticks at it and we play well.''
