Stech catches the eye

Marek Stech made a welcome return to reserve-team action on Monday night as he played in the reserves 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Despite the disappointment of the scoreline, when the home side scored two first-half goals to seal the contest by half-time, the 18-year-old Stech enjoyed a memorable game and made a number of key saves. The Czech Republic youth international has only just returned to action after an ankle ligament injury suffered just after an impressive display for the reserves in a 1-0 win at Portsmouth on 23 January, with youngster Adam Street filling in superbly during his absence.

While his compatriot goalkeeping coach Ludek Miklosko and the rest of the club's coaching staff are tipping big things for the popular Prague-born shot-stopper, Robert Green is particularly well placed to judge the progress of his young colleague. "Marek is a good lad," the club's No1 said, while speaking at a recent fans' forum. "He is still very young and he is probably got a good inch or two on me. He is filling out, getting stronger - that is a major part of what he needs to work on. He has got endless potential and, with Ludo, it will come out."