ON-LOAN goalkeeper Steven Benda says playing for points as well as personal development adds a new layer of pressure that he has never before experienced in his fledgling career.

Benda had only made four professional appearances for Swansea under 21s before moving to the County Ground all of which came in the EFL Trophy and is therefore learning about the nuances of lower-league football as he goes.

Things like washing your own kit, battling with bumpy pitches and players putting bodies on the line in order to pay the mortgage matter more now as minutes on the pitch no longer mean a gaping allowance for and acceptance of mistakes.

Rather than shy away from those experiences, as some of his peers may been tempted to do, the Stuttgart-born goalkeeper threw himself headfirst into the opportunity in order to better himself as a professional.

The 21-year-old said: In under 23 games, the most important thing is to develop.

They (the coaches) want you to make mistakes and learn from them, but if youre playing in a League Two game, youre playing for points and you have to be spot on.

You have to be at your best in every game, so its a whole different feeling and a whole different pressure.

We have good quality in League Two, and its a whole different playing style to Swansea, for example.

I came here to get those different experiences, so Im enjoying it.

Standing at nearly two meters tall, Benda has a small advantage on leaping strikers when attempting to clear aerial danger, but unlike many of his peers, the 21-year-old sees catching the ball as his preferred option so that he can start fast and piercing counter-attacks.

Coming from a team that values playing the ball on the floor above finding a big striker with long balls, the German feels a lower-league team that has a similar outlook as the best place for his development.

Benda said: Im a goalkeeper who likes to play the ball out from the back.

I like to come for crosses and to be there behind my teammates, and show them I can help them if they need me.

Every cross that comes in, I want to fight for it and help my team out.

Coming from Swansea, we have the mindset to always play out from the back, and its not too different here.

We want to play out as much as possible, but if its not, I am able to adapt and go long instead.

The managers playing style, he wants us to play out from the back, but we have to be cautious as well. He trusts us to make the right decision.

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Playing for points has added a new layer of pressure for Benda - The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald