Ben Foster is a West Brom great, says his coach

Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of Foster’s signing, although he’s been at The Hawthorns for six years because his first season was on loan from Birmingham City.

The 33-year-old shot-stopper, who was players’ player and supporters’ player of the year last season, wants to finish his career at Albion and is targeting five more seasons of football.

Goalkeeping coach Jonathan Gould reckons the Leamington-born keeper is already one of the club’s greatest glove-men, and he says there’s plenty more to come.

“His form during his maturing years over the last three or four seasons has been exceptional,” said Gould. “And it’s been in between a couple of injuries that could have set him back, but because of his work ethic and attitude on and off the field, he’s managed to come back even stronger.

“To play every minute of every game last season was a proud moment for him and a proud moment for his coaches.

“Good goalkeepers are consistent, but great goalkeepers are consistently brilliant – that’s where Ben’s got himself to.

“He was immense the first 15 games of this season gone by. I think back to the Spurs game at home, he was outstanding in that first half. He’s worth points to us every single season.”

The way Foster has bounced back from rupturing his anterior cruciate knee ligament the wrong side of 30 has impressed everyone at the club.

Last season's heroics sparked debate among supporters about Foster's place in the Albion pantheon of keepers.

“He’s probably one of the great Albion keepers,” said Gould. “I remember watching Tony Godden, I used to like him, John Osborne as well, goodness me.

"I was lucky enough to be coached by Pete Latchford - he was a good goalkeeper, and Russell Hoult had some great years at West Brom.

“There’s been some good ones but Ben is probably towards the top end of what’s gone through the club.”

Gould reckons that Foster's attitude coupled with the club's award-winning medical team sets him up for many more years in the Baggies goal.

“Look at Tim Howard and Brad Friedel, who have recently had longevity in the game at this level,” said Gould. “A lot of that is down to whether they can remain physically fit and mobile.

“That’s going to be the key, to make sure Ben looks after his body.

"There’s times as a playing staff and medical staff we know he needs time to recover, to make sure all his joints have had the recuperation given what has gone in the past with his knees. We allow him to do that.

“From this point it’s about managing him, he knows his body better than anybody, if it’s not right he comes in and tells us.

“Based on that we can help him through the week but when he trains he doesn’t hold anything back, especially at the start of the week.

“I think with the science and the knowledge that we now have as a club, there’s no reason for players not to go on into their late 30s, and it’s possible for goalkeepers to go into their early 40s.

“That’s only going to improve as clubs become more professional. I think back to my time at Celtic 17 years ago, the set-up then was just as good as it is now, but there’s more info now and it’s available quicker.

“He’s also very keen on riding his bike, he puts a lot of hours into how many watts he can achieve and miles he can do while he’s away from the club, which only helps his physical well-being.”

Foster was the only keeper nominated for the Football Writers’ Association player of the year last season.

And Gould reckons his desire to continue playing at the top level – while making sure he enjoys himself – comes from his background with Racing Club Warwick.

“He’s come from humble beginnings,” said Gould. “He went through the non-league scene.

"When you’ve done that, when you’ve been at the grassroots level and have worked up to be one of the tall trees in the highest echelon of the game you appreciate it - because of that you tend to enjoy it more.

“I know he gets a massive buzz out of playing, and there’s probably less fear now. He looks forward to it."