SIMON Eastwood was pleased to see Jack Stevens get off to a good start on loan at Port Vale.

The goalkeepers have been Oxford United teammates since 2016 and have competed for the No 1 jersey for almost two years.

Eastwood has started the season as first-choice stopper, while summer signing Ed McGinty got the nod for last Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Swansea City.

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It saw Stevens loaned to Vale Park to get regular minutes and the 25-year-old impressed on debut, keeping a clean sheet in Saturday’s goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers.

Eastwood said: “I live on the same estate as him, so we bump into each other and I spoke to him on the phone on Saturday after the game.

“I’ve grown quite close with Jack because I’ve been with him ever since I joined the club.

“There’s always going to be competition between us, but hopefully he goes out and does well.”

Eastwood joined United from Blackburn Rovers in summer 2016, the year Stevens signed his first professional deal.

The academy graduate played two U’s games at the end of the 2018/19 campaign but had to wait almost 20 months to make his next appearance in Sky Bet League One.

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Stevens was first-choice from December 2020 until October 2021, when he caught glandular fever and missed three months of last season.

The younger keeper played 30 matches to Eastwood’s 21 last term, but McGinty’s arrival from Sligo Rovers last month has increased competition for the No 1 spot.

Eastwood said: “It’s been me and Jack for four or five years, so to have somebody new come in was quite strange.

“Ed’s great, he’s a good keeper who has come over here to challenge both of us and with Jack going out on loan, something like that did have to happen.

“If you’ve got three keepers in for one spot there’s always going to be someone who’s number 3, who thinks they should be playing. It’s quite hard to keep every single person happy.

“For him to get games is good for him, for me to play is good for me and Ed will be pushing me all the way.”