Southampton's win against West Ham last weekend meant they kept five consecutive clean sheets for the first time in fifteen years, with Ronald Koeman's side now closing in on a club record.

It’s been 15 years since Southampton last managed such an impressive run at the back, while the club were still playing at the Dell.

Seven on that occasion

In 2001 that Southampton side collected a total of seven clean sheets in a row during a run of five wins and two goalless draws to propel the side to the top eight in the Premier League. That run spanned from the beginning of January to the beginning of April, and the Saints' current side will be looking to emulate their predecessors' impressive early-year form.

Four defenders have been involved in all of the clean sheets in this run so far; Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Virgil Van Dijk and Ryan Bertrand. Claus Lundekvam, Dean Richards and Wayne Bridge all played in every game of the run in 2001, whilst Tahar El Khalej, Jason Dodd and Dan Petrescu all played their part in the run of clean sheets.

Memories of 2001

The run began against Charlton Athletic as Southampton collected a 0-0 draw which at the time saw them slip to 14th, before another goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur and a 1-0 win against Leicester City at the Dell thanks to a Petrescu goal.

The side then easily saw off Bradford City with a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Marian Pahars and James Beattie. The Saints picked up a third straight win with Mark Draper netting the crucial goal against Middlesbrough to make it five clean sheets in a row.

Former Southampton man Dan Petrescu is now a manager in China | Photo: romaniatv.net
Former Southampton man Dan Petrescu is now a manager in China | Photo: romaniatv.net

Manchester City were the next side up and another goal from Petrescu saw another 1-0 win, before another one-goal win, this time against Everton courtesy of Joe Tessem. The run then came grinding to a halt as the Saints shipped three goals in a heavy defeat to Ipswich Town.

Forster unbeaten since March 2015

Current stopper Fraser Forster is bidding to go within one of that record of Paul Jones when his side visit the Liberty Stadium this weekend to face a Swansea City side still not safe from relegation. 

The England keeper hasn't conceded since a one-all draw with Chelsea in March 2015, when Diego Costa scored at Stamford Bridge. If Southampton can keep Swansea out then it will be Guus Hiddink's resurgent Chelsea who will visit St Mary's in the next game with Koeman's men looking to equal the record. 

If they keep a clean sheet in those two matches then the record could eventually be broken against Bournemouth at the beginning of March.

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About the author
Tom  Mason
Im 18 years old and a studying media. Write for the Southampton, Cricket and Tennis sections. Am an sports writer and have been writing for Vavel since August 2015 Twitter: @tom_mason18