SHOULD Jussi Jaaskelainen join the exclusive band of Wanderers players to have reached the 500-appearance mark at St Andrews tomorrow, he would probably be the last person to mention it.

For while the Big Finn continues to defy the journeyman approach favoured by most blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Premier League players, the man himself admits his natural drive prevents him from celebrating the milestones that have whizzed by in 14 years of service at the Reebok, even if it is an FA Cup quarter-final.

Few would have predicted when Colin Todd stole the rather unconventional young keeper from under Norwich City’s nose back in 1997 for a paltry fee of just £100,000, that he would be signing someone whose presence would span the next two decades.

But slowly and steadily, Jaaskelainen mirrored his own club’s rise up the echelons to rank among the most consistent stoppers in the game today.

Jaaskelainen would join luminaries Eddie Hopkinson, Roy Greaves, Alec Finney, Warwick Rimmer, Bryan Edwards, Ted Vizard, Paul Jones, Roy Hartle and Nat Lofthouse as players who have reached 500 games in all competitions for the club.

But while the 35-year-old graciously accepts the company he would keep in the Wanderers’ history books, he concedes that his attention would move seamlessly on to game number 501 against Manchester United, should he get the nod over Adam Bogdan at Birmingham.

“I’m obviously really glad to make that number of appearances but I always say it’s really hard when you’re in the moment to really appreciate it,” he told The Bolton News.

“As soon as I finish a game, I am right back on to prepare for the next one, so you don’t really see the numbers stacking up.

“Of course, it’s a great honour to get to this stage and look at the other players who have done it but I haven’t been able to think about it much. Maybe it’s something I will do when I retire.”

A century ahead of the second longest serving Wanderer, Ricardo Gardner – currently on loan at Preston North End – and more than 150 ahead of Kevin Davies, you could argue it may be some years before Jaaskelainen’s achievements are matched again.

Yet the experienced keeper admits one thing is lacking from his repertoire, and that may soon change.

“The trophy is still missing for me,” he said. “But looking at our position in the league, we still have a very good chance of qualifying for the Europa League as well.

“Hopefully my time will come in the FA Cup. I do think we have a good chance of winning it because you can see how well we are playing individual games against the tougher teams, so it’s not going to feel like, ability-wise, we have got no chance.”

At 35, Jaaskelainen shows little sign of slowing down. Despite the pressure of Ali Al-Habsi and Bogdan for his first team place in recent times, the Finn remains on course to edge towards club legend, and fellow keeper, Hopkinson’s benchmark of 578 games for Wanderers.

“You see players and keepers going on right through their 30s and into their 40s and if I can keep injury-free, I think I can do that too,” he said.

“Right now I feel 100 per cent fit, I’m right there for every training session. You learn with experience down the years what you need to do to keep yourself going and keep yourself focused.

“You have to do the right things, not only on the training ground but also away from football, at home.

“You also need the right people behind you – and we have some top guys advising us and making sure that we go the right way.”