Adrian aims to bat away Saints

While keeping clean sheets is Adrian's main aim, West Ham United's Spanish goalkeeper has revealed that he has another sporting ambition - he would like to be the world's best Padel player!

Padel is a sport the vast majority of fans will never have heard of, but in Adrian's home city of Seville it is a popular pastime

Invented in Mexico in 1969, Padel is a racquet sport played on an enclosed court about half the size of a tennis court. The scoring system and balls used are the same as tennis, with the main differences that the ball can be played off the walls in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless racquets are used.

"I like Padel, which is a Spanish game and similar to tennis but is played in a closed court with walls like a box," the Hammers No13 explained.

"I play Padel when I am back at home and am good at it. If I didn't play football, I'd love to be the world's best Padel player!"

While Padel is a hobby Adrian is passionate about, the goalkeeper is focused on extending his run of four consecutive clean sheets by batting away Southampton in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

If the 27-year-old can blank the Saints, he will equal the Hammers' all-time top-flight record of five set by Phil Parkes back in December 1985.

So, can Adrian and his team-mates stop Mauricio Pochettino's in-form side?

"Yes, why not? It's really difficult to keep this run going but if I can keep four, I can keep five," he said with confidence. "The team is strong at home and away at present, so why not?

"In my mind, I'm imagining keeping a clean sheet on Saturday. It is only in my mind to keep a clean sheet and to get the three points, rather than equalling the record.

"Southampton will be a really difficult game, but we're playing at home and we need to keep going, keep our strong home form and make other teams respect us when they come to Upton Park."

Adrian's fourth clean sheet came against Norwich City on 11 February and was very much his own work, with the former Real Betis man making a string of saves to deny Gary Hooper, Robert Snodgrass and Alex Tettey.

Having kept his side in the game, two late goals from James Collins and Mohamed Diame saw West Ham score a 2-0 win that lifted them four points clear of the relegation zone.

"Sometimes the team needs my help. In the last match, I was able to help my team-mates with my saves and finally we scored two goals and got the three points.

"That was really important and at the moment I feel really happy with form."

*One fortunate supporter will win Adrian's gloves and goalkeeper shirt simply by purchasing Saturday's Official Programme v Southampton.

A Lucky Number will be printed on every issue, with the winner being picked at random. Fans should keep an eye on whufc.com and the Club's social media platforms for the winning number over the weekend!