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NOTTS County shot-stopper Alex Bass believes modern goalkeepers are just outfield players who are required to make saves.

- Chris Dunlavy

The 26-year-old has seen his position transformed over the last decade as the likes of Ederson, Alisson and early pioneer Manuel Neuer inspired a generation of ball-playing goalkeepers.

"The way everything in the game is going now, you get exposed a hell of a lot more than you did in the old days," says Bass, a summer signing from Sunderland who has featured throughout the Magpies' four-game unbeaten start to the League Two season.

"And it starts really young. As a kid, I think the way that you're brought up now is that you're basically an outfield player that just happens to wear gloves and make saves as well.

"In training, for example, I'm probably involved in a passing drill every other day. We quite often get involved in the little boxes, the rondos and things like that. Unfortunately, we end up in the middle quite a lot more than the other boys!