Vaclav is up there with the very best

Czech shot-stopper is praised for his heroics

With the 2019/20 Scottish Premiership season now officially concluded, the Paisley Daily Express has teamed up with two Saints heroes to discuss the club’s standout performers.

Alongside current manager Jim Goodwin and former star striker Steven Thompson, we have drawn up a shortlist of four Buddies whose impressive performances helped secure ninth spot and a place in the top flight next season.

Over the next three days we’ll reveal the four candidates and discuss their merits, before handing over to the readers to pick their overall St Mirren player of the year. They will be revealed on Saturday.

First up today is fan favourite goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.

The Czech shot- stopper has enjoyed a outstanding season between the sticks, picking up ten clean sheets in the Premiership alone.

That was the highest of any keeper outside the top three – Celtic’s Fraser Forster, Rangers’ Allan McGregor and Motherwell’s Mark Gillespie.

He showcased his unbelievable shot-stopping ability on numerous occassions, stepping up with big saves to seal vital wins over Aberdeen and St Johnstone at the Simple Digital Arena, as well as against Motherwell at Fir Park.

But Thompson believes there’s much more to Hladky’s game than just saves.

He said: “He’s been absolutely magnificent this season. He makes brilliant saves but his distribution as well is incredible.

“He’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and I’d put him in the top two or three keepers in the country, no question about that.

“When you consider St Mirren have been at the lower end of the division for large parts of the season, his clean sheet record is pretty remarkable.

“It’s going to be a big task for Jim to try and keep him in Paisley. If he can manage that he’d be the club’s best signing this summer for sure.

“He’s become a bit of a club legend and hopefully we’ll get to see him play for St Mirren again in the future.”

Goodwin has always said he will do all he can to persuade Hladky to remain with the Buddies for another season.

He picked out his mentality as one of the key attributes of the former Slovan Liberec player.

He said: ““Hladky is one of the best signings for the club in recent years. The fans and media only see what he does on a Saturday but he’s one of the best professionals I’ve ever worked with. He’s very brave coming for crosses and his decision making is excellent.

“He doesn’t have the height of a Joe Lewis or a Craig Gordon, but his spring more than makes up for that. He’s so good that he actually gives the rest of the back four confidence too.”