FOR ambitious, driven young goalkeepers like Murphy Cooper, fine-tuning your skill set is not just about throwing yourself around on the training ground for countless hours or doing your extras in the gym.

Canvass the opinions of those who know the game better than most and they will venture that cultivating a top mentality is the single most important facet of being a successful modern-day keeper these days and what ultimately separates the best from the rest.

The Barnsley loanee is a bubbly character, but someone who is deadly serious about his craft.

In terms of his first few months at Barnsley, the 23-year-old, on a season-long loan from Championship outfit QPR, can reflect upon a pretty sound start.

Murphy Cooper, pictured on loan at Stevenage last season (Image: Pete Norton/Getty Images).

placeholder image — Murphy Cooper, pictured on loan at Stevenage last season (Image: Pete Norton/Getty Images).

Granted, it's not been picture perfect or error-free with mistakes in home games against Burton and Reading being a case in point. Rare blemishes, it has to be said.

But one thing that has consistently impressed - most definitely in the eyes of Conor Hourihane who clearly thinks the world of him - is his mindset.

'A big, big plus' and 'a breath of fresh air' are among the comments he had made to describe Cooper's presence around the place.

Alongside praise for his qualities as a keeper, the Reds chief has also spoken about how vocal he is for a relatively young keeper.

Barnsley summer signing Murphy Cooper. Picture courtesy of Barnsley FC.

For Cooper, mindset certainly matters.

An ever-present at league level, Cooper told The Yorkshire Post: "You have the Ben Foster podcast and I listen to that and he has loads of goalies on and they talk about their experiences.

"I also worked with a psychologist a few years ago and that helped as well. There's stuff I've done to help with that mental aspect as it's a side of the game which goes unnoticed at times.

"Goalkeeping is a hard position as if you do make a mistake, it results in a goal.

"If you dwell on it, it hinders the rest of your performance and as soon as it happens, you've got to blank it out and address it the next day with the goalie coach.

"It's something I have worked on in my career after any goal, really. I try to be a perfectionist and there's not a goal I've conceded where I've not thought: 'Should I have done this, could I have done this?' Even the unstoppable ones.

"But while the game is going on, the most important thing is wiping it from your memory, focus on the game and forget it happened.

"Worry about it after or the next day with the goalie coach. It's something I've worked on since I was younger and am still carrying it on now."

Cooper's words speak of an old head on young shoulders and he counts himself as fortunate to have learnt from some excellent custodians in his time at Rangers.

In his early days in West London, the Reading-born keeper picked up snippets from former Sheffield Wednesday favourite Kieren Westwood, a keeper widely respected for not just his tremendous athleticism, but strong mindset.

Another in Seny Dieng, currently at Middlesbrough, was very much a new-age gloveman with a high level of proficiency with the ball at his feet and Cooper took plenty from working at close quarters with him as well.

Cooper continued: "I have worked with some amazing goalies such as Seny, Kieren Westwood, David Marshall, Jordan Archer, Joe Lumley and Asmir Begovic.

"The list goes on...The season when Seny was the number one at QPR, I was third choice, so I travelled home and away and watched how he prepared in the hotel and would prepare and speak to the lads in the dressing room and go out and perform. It was massive for me.

"I took loads of things from his game and it was a really good learning (period) for me to be around these experienced players."

Another key consideration that has aided Cooper’s development has been his eagerness to step away from ‘safe’ age-group football and test himself at first-team level outside any perceived comfort zone.

Outstanding in his loan at Stevenage last term - he kept 16 clean sheets in 40 outings - he has also dipped his toes in non-league circles on loan with the likes of Welling United and Stratford Town.

It's easy to see why Cooper is highly-regarded at his parent club. He signed a contract extension last summer before heading out on loan.

On his loans away from the R's, he said: "It is always said that goalkeepers peak around 28 to 30 and they go on a bit longer in their career. But it's been a bit of a common theme for goalies to go out on loan as young as possible and get that experience and that's the main thing.

"You can train as well as you want and I was playing well for the (under) 21s at QPR at 18.

"But it's about men's football and that's the only way you'll get that experience. I was desperate to go out on loan as soon as I could. This is my fifth loan, including non-league ones and every single one has been massive for me.”