SOUTHEND United currently boast two of the best young goalkeepers in the game.

First choice shot-stopper Daniel Bentley continues to attract interest from a host of top sides while Ted Smith has been a regular in England’s under 19 team this season.

However, they have both been able to excel between the sticks, thanks to the work of one of the club’s unsung heroes, goalkeeping coach Terry Mason.

And he has been thrilled by the impressive development of the two youngsters who he has now worked with for a number of years.

“I first started working with Daniel when he was 15 and Ted Smith when he was 12,” recalled Mason.

“In the goalkeeping system at the club we have a detailed goalkeeping recruitment criteria when signing goalkeepers and very early on it was clear that both Daniel and Ted met the qualities we were looking for in young goalkeepers.

“Both goalkeepers are different but share a number of similar traits that I believe all top professionals in sport possess.

“They have always been very humble, focused individuals and continually looking to improve their game.

“They have dedicated their lives to achieve excellence in goalkeeping.

“I believed very early on that both goalkeepers had the potential to achieve great things in the game and part of my job is enhancing their belief that they are good enough to one day wear the number one goalkeeping shirt at Southend United.

“It's great to see both developing so well at different stages of their careers.

“But they need to stay focused in order to continue to develop and improve.”

The Wickford based Bentley has now made 92 appearances for the Shrimpers’ first team and kept 21 clean sheets last season.

Blues’ boss Phil Brown has tipped him to earn full international honours with England and offers from Premier League clubs have already been rejected.

Smith, who is from Benfleet, is also well regarded within Roots Hall and seems destined to be given his chance when Bentley does inevitably depart.

But Mason is also working hard to ensure other young goalkeepers can follow in their foot-steps at the club.

“I work with the professional and scholar goalkeepers at the football club as well as overseeing the whole goalkeeping system from the under sevens age group all the way up to the professionals,” said the 35-year-old, who lives in Peterborough.

“Within the goalkeeping system we also have three part time members of staff that do an excellent job at developing the next generation of Southend United goalkeepers.

“We also have some excellent young goalkeepers in the academy.

“Both Daniel and Ted are also great examples to them that with the right dedication, focus and pursuit of excellence, they could one day follow in their footsteps. “ Mason first got in to professional coaching at the age of 19 when he was employed as head academy goalkeeping coach at Peterborough United.

Prior to that, he had also started his own goalkeeping academy and spent time working at both Northampton Town and Cambridge United.

While at Cambridge he worked alongside Ricky Duncan who he then decided to follow to Roots Hall.

“I was working at Cambridge, eight years ago, when I was offered the opportunity by Ricky Duncan and Luke Hobbs to help restructure the goalkeeping system in the academy at Southend,” said Mason.

“I’ve really enjoyed it and it’s been great to see Daniel and Ted both come through the system.

“But there is plenty of hard work still to be done.”

>If you are interested in receiving professional goalkeeping coaching from Terry and his team email TerryMason2@aol.com for more information.

DANIEL BENTLEY

“Tel has been instrumental to my development as a player and a person. He has put huge amounts of time into me. Tel has passed on all of his knowledge in to helping me get to where I am today. There is a lot of attention to detail and I can’t think him enough. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support and guidance of Terry. I believe that at some point he could go on to coach in the Premier League. Tel is definitely an unsung hero at Southend and he is a credit to the goalkeeping department of the club.”

TED SMITH

"Tel is the main reason Southend have produced young keepers. He was here before I came seven years ago and has definitely made me the keeper I am today. He taken a lot of his own time to help develop me and I'm sure Dan will say the same.  I can't thank him enough for what his done for me and I'm sure he will be coaching at the highest level in the future."