HAZARD A GUEST

Loan ace feels at home in basement

CONOR HAZARD has been drilled in the art of keeping your cool at Celtic.

So the keeper vows there’s no panic about Partick Thistle’s rock bottom situation as he prepares for a basement battle with the Falkirk side he helped to keep up last season.

The 20-year-old recently joined the Jags on loan from Celtic, among a flurry of new faces brought in to bolster a squad low on confidence.

It’s a similar situation to the deep end he found himself thrown into this time last year when Falkirk were flagging in the lower reaches of the Championship.

But Hazard’s contribution (seven wins and two draws in 12 appearances, including four clean sheets) helped the Bairns steer clear of trouble – and he won his first senior international cap for Northern Ireland.

Now he’s at Partick, planning to use all the experience he gained from that stint to help the Jags climb off the bottom and back towards safety – even if that means putting his old club in the mire.

Hazard said: “Falkirk’s a really good club and I really enjoyed my time there.

“To end my season there with a first Northern Ireland cap was brilliant.

“I absolutely loved it at Falkirk and it gave me great belief going back to Celtic in the summer.

“I was desperate to get out again for more experience to show how much I’ve improved and I’m very thankful to Partick Thistle for giving me that chance.

“It’s not been the best of seasons for the club so far but we’re hoping to change that.

“We have six months left and it’s important to make things right.

“For as long as I’m here I’ll look to get as many clean sheets as possible. I’ll also look to bring some of the Celtic atmosphere to the club.

“At Celtic you’re trained to be calm and collected in every situation.

“It will be the same for me here and I’ll try to have an influence on the back four. Hopefully everyone’s calm and collected on the ball, can take it in any scenario. I’ll certainly be available every time.

“No matter what situation you’re in, you have to be very composed.”