STATS JUST GREAT, JOE
TWENTY years ago this week, Joe Hart asked his teachers to dodge class and go sit on the bench for his local football team.
Back then, the 15-yearold goalkeeper felt like he’d scaled Everest in his footballing journey as he jumped on Shrewsbury’s first-team bus for the 200-mile trek to Exeter ahead of a 1-1 draw in League Two.
Two decades, 75 England caps, two World Cups, seven major trophies and over 700 appearances for club and country later, Hart could be forgiven for thinking he’d conquered it all.
But as he reflects on the day he skipped school for his first taste of pro football, the Celtic keeper insists he still has that youthful quest for success.
Awesome
Reminded of the milestone ahead of the Hoops’ trip to face St Johnstone tomorrow, Hart (below) said: “That’s a great stat … great work!
“Exeter away, I had to come out of school for that. That’s awesome. That’s made me smile that. That’s cool. It was an amazing experience. I had to get special permission from the school.
“I think it was probably a case of two injured goalkeepers, which is one too many for a squad the size we had. I was the next best thing; that was pretty special.
“It was my Everest to be a part of my club Shrewsbury Town. I was nowhere near ready to play. Jeez, when I really think about it, it would have been frightening. I was just a naive kid just buzzing, high on life.”
Buzzing
Hart’s still buzzing about his career as he chases a seventh successive shutout for Celtic in Perth tomorrow.
Ange Postecoglou has entrusted him with starting attacks by playing out from the back, as well as being the last line of a defence which, often, is left one-on-one by the Hoops’ aggressive attacking style.
And it’s a fresh approach which has relit the keeper’s flame in his 18 months in Glasgow.
He said: “I’ve worked my best when I’ve been in love with what the team is doing and really heavily involved with what we are trying to achieve. We are not perfect, we don’t claim to be perfect. Every team we play against has their own way of making it very difficult and potentially winning the game.
“St Johnstone will be no different, but we just have to be on the front foot, ready to work hard and recover if anything doesn’t quite go the way you
want.” (below) (inset,