Glove affair

Siegrist relishes battle with Hart for No.1 jersey Competition for places welcome as Swiss agrees Parkhead deal

BEN SIEGRIST has set his sights on becoming the firstchoice goalkeeper at Celtic, and the former Dundee United man believes that the competition with current No.1 Joe Hart can make him a better player.

Siegrist checked in at Celtic Park yesterday after agreeing a four-year deal to join Ange Postecoglou’s squad, and immediately declared that he has not come to Glasgow to sit on the bench, even though he has great respect for one-time England captain Hart.

But while the 30-year-old Swiss stopper thinks that both men will benefit from the competition between them for a starting spot, he also emphasised that he will be pulling in the same direction as the rest of his team-mates as they look to bring more success to the club under Postecoglou.

When asked if he is aiming to become the No.1 and play every week at Celtic, Siegrist said: “Yes, of course. Everybody wants to play. Ultimately, we are all competitors and we have the confidence to back ourselves to play.

“But, for me, it’s about more than just that. It’s not just a case of saying, ‘I want to come here and play’. It’s about the togetherness here, you can feel it when you come here to play against Celtic. They are all in it together for the right reasons, they are all in it for the team and for the greater good.

“Of course, the goalkeeping position is special. You can’t just come off the bench for 10 minutes and you know there is only one of you who can play in any game.

“But it’s the job of the other boys to support the keeper that is playing in that moment and I back myself to do the best I can, to bring my skills to the table.

“There are no guarantees anywhere in football but, like I said before, there weren’t any guarantees when I first came to Scotland and that turned out quite well so I’m very positive that I can have an impact here at this football club.”