Long-serving Cerny feels like honorary Scot
Czech keeper has close ties to Scotland as he prepares for 200th match in country
WHILE the passing of Alan Archibald’s fourth year in charge of Partick Thistle has been recognised recently, a milestone will also be reached today by one of his most important players.
Goalkeeper Tomas Cerny will play his 200th competitive match in Scotland at Firhill this afternoon, with his former club Hamilton rather fittingly providing the opposition. The Czech goalkeeper has been a standout performer for the Jags since his arrival in the summer of 2015, and his consistent form has enabled him to claim the number one jersey as his own.
He credits the fact that he feels so at home, not just in Maryhill but in Scotland as a whole, as the reason behind why he may be producing some of the best displays of his career.
“I wasn’t aware of that – it is a good number to reach,” Cerny said. “I have played the biggest chunk of my career in Scotland and I have been pleased to have been No.1 at both Hamilton and Partick Thistle.
“When I first came to Scotland my plan was to stay for just six months and experience a different culture – and maybe play football. So, I wanted to see as many places as I could.
“Now 10 years on – with a couple of breaks in between – I’m still here, I have a Scottish wife, a Scottish family so it’s my home at the moment. The only places I have not really visited are the Outer Hebrides and the Shetlands.
“I have been to the Orkneys, all parts of the Highlands, Skye and all of the islands closer to the West Coast.
“It took me 18 hours to get to the Orkneys because I went by bus and then boat and I know the Shetlands will be longer. So I think the Outer Hebrides will be my next opportunity but it’s trying to find the right time. It’s been a bit difficult [this season] as I came into it with a foot injury. I then got in and had a couple of good games but injured myself again and was out for a couple of months. However, when I came back we had a decent run and we had four clean sheets in a row so I’m pretty happy with my form but I just need to finish the season strongly.
“I still have a little niggle but it doesn’t limit me at all. I just do my exercises and hopefully a rest in the summer will mean it is fully resolved.”
Cerny can lay claim to the remarkable statistic of never having lost in this fixture, either as a Hamilton player or in the colours of Partick Thistle, and the importance of today’s game is not lost on him. “I would like to keep that record – although there have been a lot of draws,” he said. “We need to try to get back to winning ways in the league, especially as we are at home but it’s never easy in this league.
“It’s not that we played badly in the games that we drew against Kilmarnock and Inverness, we just didn’t manage to score goals. Even the games we lost – St Johnstone and Aberdeen away – we performed well but, again, we just didn’t take our chances.
“Of course, we would love to open up a gap on Hamilton but even if we do there are still a lot of games to play. Given how tight the league is, games like this one are so important.”
Cerny has backed former team-mate and current Hamilton manager Martin Canning to ride out the criticism he is currently getting from the Lanarkshire club’s fans. “He will handle it but I think it will affect him because he is not the kind of person that will let that kind of thing wash over him,” he said. “He will think about it. There were some statements last year when he was under pressure and I think if you care then you are going to be affected. I only know Martin as a player but he has always been a good character.”