A few Aston Villa’s understudy goalkeepers are considered the best in the Premier League era because of their roles in critical moments.
Backup goalkeepers often operate far from the spotlight and remain underappreciated. They are usually called upon only in difficult circumstances, when the first-choice keeper is suddenly injured or unavailable for other reasons.
However, not all of them are able to step in and perform when needed. Many have failed and eventually lost their place due to being unreliable in those sudden moments. Yet, some do not only survive but also thrive.
Marco Bizot falls into the latter category. The Dutch goalkeeper featured in key moments this season when Emiliano Martinez was unavailable at the start of the campaign due to his failed move. Bizot also stepped up when the Argentine suffers injuries, including Villa’s visit to Nottingham Forest in early April and the final game against Manchester City last weekend. In that match, he made a crucial save to deny an equaliser.
Overall, he made 14 appearances and kept five clean sheets. His save percentage stands at 65.5 per cent, while his passing success rate is 76.3 per cent. Those are impressive numbers for the former Brest man, who arrived at Villa Park last summer to replace Robin Olsen.
Throughout the club’s history, a few understudy goalkeepers have delivered when called upon. Here are some who are among Villa’s best backup keepers in the Premier League era.
Steer was part of the Villa squad from 2013 to 2023. During that period, he had loan spells at Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Huddersfield, Charlton, and Luton. However, he was recalled during the 2018/19 season following the injury of Villa’s second-choice goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland.
That campaign, Steer proved his worth after first-choice keeper Lovre Kalinic suffered an injury in the match against West Brom. The former Norwich man went on to earn a regular place under Dean Smith and eventually helped Villa secure promotion through the Championship play-offs.
Steer stole the spotlight in the semi-final shootout against West Brom, saving two penalties to send Villa to Wembley. He also performed well in the final against Frank Lampard’s Derby County. Overall, Steer made 36 appearances and kept eight clean sheets before eventually moving to Peterborough.
Oakes was part of Aston Villa’s squad from 1991 to 1999. During his time at Villa Park, he had four loan spells with Scarborough, Bromsgrove Rovers, Gloucester City, and Tranmere Rovers.
A product of the Villa academy, Oakes was promoted to the first team but mainly served as deputy to Mark Bosnich. He finally got his opportunity in the 1996/97 season following Bosnich’s injury. He produced notable performances, helping Villa hold Manchester United to a draw at home and earn a point in a 1-1 draw away at Chelsea.
He also featured in the second round of the UEFA Cup when Villa beat Celta Vigo 1-0 away, making a crucial save to preserve the result. Overall, Oakes made 61 appearances and kept 19 clean sheets before joining Wolverhampton in the summer of 1999, following Villa’s signing of David James after Bosnich departed for Manchester United.
The former Finland international joined Villa in 1999 as backup to David James and later Peter Schmeichel. He had one loan spell at Blackburn in 2003 before making the move permanent in 2004.
Enckelman made 67 appearances for Villa and kept 21 clean sheets. Though mainly a deputy, he regularly stepped in and delivered solid performances. Some of his standout displays came when Villa held Liverpool to draws in both fixtures during the 1999/2000 season and beat Chelsea home and away in 2001/02.
The Turku-born shot-stopper also impressed in the 2002/03 campaign, helping Villa draw with Arsenal at home and earn 1-1 draws away at Liverpool and Manchester United, while also contributing to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Villa Park.
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