GILLINGHAM'S Jason Brown goes head to head with a rival pretender to the Wales goalkeeping crown when Grimsby visit Priestfield on Saturday.

Brown, who makes no secret of his desire to graduate from Under-21 first choice to national number 1, will invite comparison alongside Grimsby’s brilliant Danny Coyne.

Nottingham Forest’s Darren Ward started for Wales in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina before being replaced at half-time by Middlesbrough's Mark Crossley.

Both Brown and Coyne are stepping up pressure on team manager Mark Hughes to scrutinise their credentials at the highest level.

Brown, who kept a clean sheet for the Wales Under-20 side in Tuesday’s goalless draw with South Korea, believes another exceptional performance in Monday’s televised match with Reading will have raised his profile still further.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Kevin Hitchcock, now coaching at Watford, is known to have recommended Brown to the Stamford Bridge club and last weekend he was linked with Tottenham. Brown said: “If I can keep playing well then I see no reason why I shouldn't get a full international call-up."

Gillingham's player-manager Andy Hessenthaler could gamble in Saturday's match on the fitness of striker Paul Shaw who has not played since tweaking a cartilage at Preston on February 1.

Central defender Chris Hope, who will be looking to register his 140th consecutive appearance for Gillingham, is expected to overcome a knee injury sustained at Reading on Monday.