IRISH LEAGUE PREVIEW: Jonny Tuffey calling on every tool of the trade for Crusaders upper hand

For the 90-plus matchday minutes between first and final whistle Tuffey’s focus is centred on the field.

However, the experienced shot-stopper admits to drawing inspiration from outside sources away from the pitch in pursuit of every possible edge.

"It's like any job, you've got to use the tools at your disposal to be the best you can,” he said. “We have platforms that we use within the club for analysis and it's something you can look at as a player.

“The difficulty now is that a lot of players will chop and change where they go with penalties, for example, because they've caught on goalkeepers do their homework.

“You're always look individually and as a team for ways in which we can defend set-pieces or nullify threats, plus in an attacking sense to exploit anything.

“As a goalkeeper, in terms of looking at individual strikers for analysis, you can watch footage until the cows come home.

“Although it's something I try not to over-think as whatever happens on the night you've got to deal with and try to read the game in the moment.

“Especially as a goalkeeper, I've done it in the past when younger how you analyse games to the nth degree.

“Maybe you end up worried sick before about what might happen in a certain situation and it could turn out the boys in front are playing so well you barely touch the ball.

“As I've become more experienced you realise you can only react to what's going on in the game so it's about focus and concentration on dealing with whatever the opposition throw at you.

“At times it works, at times it doesn't...it's still a bit of a gamble but we are as best prepared as we can be.”

The shared wisdom in relation to the current status of top-flight football in Northern Ireland is that impressive strides have been made across the board.

Although, naturally, the talk is dominated by the financial injection into clubs such as Larne and Glentoran from private benefactors, Tuffey highlights the behind-the-scenes increased attention to detail as another boom.

“With the various platforms you can pretty much see every club across our league and Europe, so they are a huge benefit,” he said. “It helps but, of course, managers and coaching staff all know that information is out there so they now earn their crust by constantly trying to evolve and adapt and out-smart the opposition.

"Every game is competitive but that's where the work behind the scenes comes into play around your season’s schedule - when does the training need to be full-tilt? When does it need to be a little bit lighter? When is it about recovery or a day off?

“I love watching other sports too and you can draw inspiration even if it's about the heartbreak.

"Hearing people at the top of their field talk...there's lessons to be learnt from both aspects of sport but I think more in defeat than from winning.

“You see that strength of character to show humility in defeat then respond and go on to dominate at the top level.

“By taking little bits and pieces you can maybe adapt something into your own sport so it is certainly great to have at your disposal.”