The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Hazard happy to return to Dens
Celtic keeper targeting play-offs after second loan move to Dundee
Nobody could say he doesn’t know what he’s signed up for.
Conor Hazard had plenty of loan options for the second half of the season after Celtic decided more first team football was in the Northern Ireland goalkeeper’s best interests.
And the 21-year-old’s previous short spell at Dens Park convinced him that a return to Dundee was the best move he could make.
The perception of the club from outside at the moment isn’t of one on the up but Hazard has a different take on it and believes he can play a part in a Dark Blue promotion push.
His eyes are wide open – and they’re fixed on play-off glory.
“I am delighted to be back,” he said. “Obviously I had a few weeks here before and it is a great club to be at.
“There is a good group of boys and staff. You can learn so much here and it is a big, big club as well.
“It puts a lot of pressure on you but I can’t wait to get going again.
“I was signing once a week when I was here previously. Once my six weeks were up, I hoped that I had impressed enough to be asked back.
“So I am delighted to be here for the next six months now. There is a lot of competition for places here and I just want to show everybody what I can do.”
He added: “It is a very hard league to play in. There are very few points between relegation and the play-offs. There is lots to play for.
“The gaffer here has been trying to develop a way of playing, which is brilliant.
“I love having the ball at my feet, playing out from the back, but he is very good at adapting to different teams and scenarios.
“We are coming up against Morton on Saturday and we know the way they will play and what we need to do.
“The past few weeks haven’t been very good for the club with a few bad results. But everyone is still upbeat and still driving forward.
“Every team has a bad run from time to time but once we get that first win again, we will keep on battering through.
“Getting to the Premiership is everyone’s aim.”
Hazard is highly rated at Parkhead and has a contract through to 2021.
With three senior international keepers ahead of him in Glasgow, more loan football for the man who has previously been farmed out to Falkirk and Partick Thistle made perfect sense.
“I had a few options to go to different places but I felt this was the right move for me,” he said.
“Celtic were delighted to get me out to hopefully play a few games.
“It has been frustrating just training every day and not being able to look forward to playing on a Saturday.
“So it is a different scenario for me here, which is better for me personally.
“I just want to succeed and push on, not stay still.
“A very experienced guy once told me, never be in limbo, always keep moving forward, so that’s what I have been pushing for and I am delighted to finally get it done.”
Craig Gordon, Fraser Forster and ex-dundee man Scott Bain have all given him the same message.
“They are all very good goalies and they always help the younger ones coming through,” said Hazard.
“They all said you need to get games and that I’ll learn much more from playing than just training.
“Learning from top, top goalies like that is very helpful but I think I am at the stage now where I need to show people what I can do.
“There is no point in me sitting, training with Celtic, making saves but not getting the opportunity to show it to everyone else, so I am just delighted to get this opportunity to hopefully go and do that.”
Jamie Ness will miss out at Morton this afternoon, with Andrew Nelson getting close to a return.
Meanwhile, Dundee keeper Calum Ferrie has joined Falkirk on loan until the end of the season.
Ferrie’s arrival comes after the Bairns released former Dundee United keeper Cammy Bell on Thursday.
Falkirk co-manager David Mccracken said: “Calum is an extremely impressive young goalkeeper and we are pleased to be able to bring him in.”
Ferrie, who came through the youth ranks at Port Vale, has already made three senior appearances for the Dee and spent last season on loan at Stirling Albion, winning their Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards.