City's goalkeepers are getting on well despite the competition for the number one spot heating up with the return to fitness of Andreas Isaksson.

   
 
That's the opinion of Joe Hart, the England Under 21 international who has been between the posts for the Blues in their last four games, conceding just twice.

The former Shrewsbury stopper faces fierce competition from the Swedish international and Kasper Schmeichel to get the nod from Sven-Goran Eriksson, but the hard work put in at training is bringing the players closer together as they all raise their games.

Joe says, "Every day in training is brilliant and I think the other lads feel the same. They’re breathing down my neck for my shirt and you never know it could be the other way around soon, so I just need to keep hold of it, enjoy it and do the best I can while I’ve got it.

"The keepers have been different class. We’re really close all three of us and both Kasper and Isak have been brilliant. They’re both as pleased for me as I would be for them. We need to stick together, it’s a difficult position and people come for you all the time, so as long as we stay strong together regardless of who’s in goal they’ll keep performing.

"Every second of training you can’t switch off because you could let one through your legs in training, whereas if you were the number one who’s been there for years, he could laugh about it. But here you know down at the other end someone’s making a brilliant save, opinions are swaying and people are thinking about it, so you need to be on form all the time."

The 20-year-old made his City debut last season and also enjoyed productive spells on loan at Tranmere and Blackpool, but rather than set targets he's happy to keep up the good work that led to his move into the first team a few weeks ago.

"I didn’t set a marker on it. I didn’t say seven games, two or three years, I just thought that I had to dig in and believe in myself, do want I can do and then hopefully I’d get the nod. I’ve got the nod now and long may that continue."