Cornell on his toes as Joel waits in the wings

KEEPING COOL . . . David Cornell is a calming influence in the Latics’ dressing room.

DAVID Cornell went more than two years without making an appearance in a league game — but as David Dunn’s undisputed number one, the goalkeeper is making up for lost time.

The 24-year-old former Swansea player has been in every starting line-up since Dunn took over the squad, despite Athletic also having the services of one of the division’s most highly-regarded young ’keepers, Joel Coleman.

But the show of faith doesn’t mean Cornell can ease up.

“I haven’t played so many games over the last few years, so it is nice to get a run,” he said. “You find the mentality changes a bit from that first game to now. But I am loving it and it is the reason I play.

“I feel the pressure of Joel every day and he is too good to be a number two at this level. It is nice to have the manager believing in you. The staff are very supportive and push us all every day to be better and take each other’s spots.”

Cornell endured a career of frustration before signing for Athletic. A 28-game spell at Hereford in League Two in 2011-12 was followed by half a season at St Mirren, where he played only fives times.

He sees himself as a calmer presence now than when he was first promoted into the side — and takes his responsibility for helping the men in front of him seriously.

“At the back of the back-line, all the tempo is done by me. I have to be that calming influence even in the dressing room before the game,” he added.

“It can be dangerous to be too excited. It is like in boxing, where if you go in there too pumped up, you could have your head knocked off.”

Cornell’s first clean sheet of the season came at Spotland, where he was forced to pull off two smart saves to deny Rochdale.

He said: “It was good to get the clean sheet. It feels good and, fingers crossed, we can nick three points on Saturday with another one.”