Blazing Saddlers By Andrew McKenzie
Taken from
www.bbc.com (Sports-->Football-->League 2)
Born in Trinidad, 13/7/72
Started out as a defender but converted to a keeper in his teens
Has won 63 caps for T&T and went to 1991 World Youth Championship as well as 2006 World Cup finals
Clayton Ince has only been at Walsall for three months but he is already rewriting the record books.
The 34-year-old Trinidad & Tobago keeper has played 630 consecutive minutes of league football at the Bescot Stadium without having to pick the ball out of the net.
His unbeatable run has seen him replace former club favourite Harry Wait's record of four games at the start of the 1924-25 season - and now he is going after the Saddlers' best for shut-outs in a league season.
Walsall's record stands at 18 in league competition, set by Jim Lewis in 1947-48 and equalled by Jimmy Walker in 1998-99.
Ince already has eight in total with his clean sheet at Rochdale - his first since January 2005 - on the opening day of the season.
He told BBC Sport: "As a goalkeeper you always want to have clean sheets and set targets.
"I target 20 clean sheets a season and if I get more than that it's a plus.
"In any league if you get at least 20 clean sheets I think you're guaranteed to get promoted or to be somewhere up there."
Ince even admits to contemplating the prospect of going the whole season without letting in a goal at home.
He added: "I'm proud of the record so far but it's just the start of the season.
"If we can go to the end of the season like that it would be no problem, but we look at it one game at a time and focus on the job in hand.
WALSALL'S HOME START IN 2006
2-0 v Stockport
2-0 v Hartlepool
1-0 v Darlington
5-0 v Peterborough
2-0 v Macclesfield
4-0 v Mansfield
2-0 v Wycombe
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AND IN 2005?
3-2 v Nottm Forest
2-2 v Southend
2-5 v Swansea
1-0 v Swindon
2-3 v Chesterfield
0-0 v Brentford
1-1 v MK Dons
"It's easy to say but hard to do. The emphasis is to get promoted by any course necessary."
Setting clean sheet records is nothing new to Ince.
In 2002-2003 he and Ademole Bankole combined to keep 24 clean sheets for Crewe to set a new club best. (Ince had 20 clean sheets, with Bankole having 4)
Top-of-the-table Walsall faced their sternest test to their proud run at the weekend when they played second-placed Wycombe.
Ironically the biggest threat to Ince's run came from team-mate Bertrand Bossu.
Bossu deputised when Ince was ruled out of the previous game at Chester and he responded with a clean sheet of his own.
Saddlers boss Richard Money eventually gave Ince the nod for Saturday and the big stopper responded with clean sheet number seven of the season at the Bescot, which helped them secure a seventh home win of the season.
Walsall managed just seven wins and seven clean sheets in the whole of the 2005-2006 season when they finished bottom of League One.
But rather than bask in their successful start to the season the modest Trinidad-born Ince is merely happy to be playing again after a difficult time at Coventry.
He made just one appearance for the Sky Blues in his one year there after 120 appearances for Crewe during his six seasons at Gresty Road.
And Ince, who was part of the T&T squad at the World Cup finals, jumped at the chance of first-team action when Walsall came calling.
BEATEN AT THE BESCOT
Clayton Ince has had to pick the ball out of the net in a home game for Walsall
Kevin Nolan, Ivan Campo and Nicolas Anelka all scored in Bolton's 3-1 win over Walsall in the League Cup
"Me and Coventry had an agreement to part company," he said.
"I didn't mind stepping down to the lower division. All I wanted to do was play football and I'm enjoying it. It's been great so far.
"You always look for a fresh challenge. I couldn't get a challenge at Coventry so I had to look elsewhere.
"Football is football and to come to a lower division and take them to a higher division - that would be a great achievement for me personally and the club."
Walsall only dropped out of the Championship in 2004 and Ince added: "With the manager coming in and the players they have here I don't see a problem with us getting back up there.
"But we'll take it one game at a time and one season at a time.
"The standard is not like the Championship or League One but we have to adapt to it and play to our ability.
"There are some good teams down there - the football is really tough and there are five or six teams that could get promoted."
