Big game nerves are a thing of the past as Ross County goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer adjusts to top flight football on loan from Charlton
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Ashley Maynard-Brewer is convinced the demanding nature of Scottish Premiership football is equipping him to fulfil his future top-level ambitions.
The on-loan Charlton Athletic goalkeeper was part of native Australia’s young international squad at last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo and has three Under-23 friendly caps.
But while highly-rated as a prospect both Down Under and south of the border, experience of top league action was non-existent before he agreed to a year-long stint with the Staggies.
Ahead of this weekend’s home clash with Dundee United, the 22-year-old from Joondalup near Perth, Western Australia, said: “Since breaking into the team in mid-September, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a sustained run of seven starts.
“I have been loving it. In the last year or two, I was getting the odd cup game here and there with Charlton and I’ve had loan spells in the lower English leagues.
“It was good to be part of a first team set-up at Charlton, but it was frustrating watching on and trying to learn from the other goalkeepers.
“Since coming here and getting consistent game time, it has been a challenge. There have been a lot of tough games to be a part of, but it’s been very enjoyable.
“Going to big grounds like Ibrox, if you had told me that a few months ago I would have been really nervous. I’d have been concerned I wouldn’t have been able to perform as I normally do.
“It has been nice to be chucked into those situations and see how I come out of it. It definitely gets easier.
“For a goalkeeper it’s more about your concentration and focus, and at this level there are a lot of small details.
“When you get a run of games, these things get into the back of your head and you don’t have to think about them too much. It’s very valuable experience for me.”
Speaking before Wednesday night’s home test against Hibs, Maynard-Brewer was excited about the prospect of a busy December run of games.
He added: “We have got 10 games in six weeks now. We are a good group of guys and we get along really well, so I’m confident we will show people what we are all about and put in some good performances.
“It’s busy, but if we can go on a bit of a run we can lift ourselves away from the bottom of the table. We will be welcoming the challenges.
“We know we need to play well, work hard, and support each other as a squad.”
