GOALKEEPER Will Dennis says his loan spell at Kilmarnock has been “a helpful experience”, adding how he is “always in contact” with Cherries.

Dennis joined the Scottish Premiership outfit over the summer and has started all 18 of their fixtures so far.

The 23-year-old has kept four clean sheets, with Killie currently fourth in the standings.

It is the former Watford youngster’s sixth loan move since joining Cherries in 2016, following spells with Guernsey, Verwood Town, Weymouth, Wealdstone and Slough Town.

Speaking to Kilmarnock’s club website ahead of Saturday’s trip to Hibernian, Dennis said: “Obviously when you come in, you want to play.

“I came in at the start of pre-season as the only keeper, with a couple of the younger lads, so I was pushing to put my name in early doors. Kieran (O’Hara) has since come in as well and it’s been great.

“We’re pushing each other in training and I think that works really well. It gets the best out of me and it will get the best out of him.

“I’ve made a couple of mistakes but I’m very grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given and I’m trying to repay it by giving my best performances and staying in the team as long as I can.

“Coming away on-loan full-time has been great; a helpful experience for me in terms of growing up a bit and looking after myself.

“The level is the main difference, but for a goalkeeper it’s pretty simple: you try to keep the ball out of the net as much as you can.”

Asked if Cherries have been keeping tabs on his progress, Dennis added: “I’ve been back and spoken to a couple of them.

“They said it has been going well from what they’ve seen, which is nice.

“Our loans manager is always in contact and I personally keep in touch with the goalie coach.

“His message has been keep pushing, keep your head down and enjoy it. Sometimes he’ll send me clips, often it’s as simple as a positional thing.”