HEARTS KID JACK ON THE FRONT FOOT
JACK HAMILTON’S primary talent has always resided in his hands but, obsessed with becoming the best goalkeeper he can, the Scotland prospect is on a mission to sharpen up his footwork. The advent of Manuel Neuer and the so-called sweeper-keeper has helped evolve the role of the goalkeeper to the point where the top coaches covet a No 1 who can operate as an 11th outfield player.
In some cases, that can see a perfectly competent shot-stopper demoted in status, the most prominent examples being Craig Gordon’s demotion for Dorus de Vries at Parkhead yesterday and Joe Hart’s fall from grace under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
At Celtic, Brendan Rodgers has hailed new signing Dorus de Vries as the best goalkeeper he has ever coached with the ball at his feet, placing scrutiny on the status of the club’s current first-choice Craig Gordon.
Having followed in Gordon’s footsteps by inheriting the role of first choice at Hearts, Hamilton now wants to land a regular slot alongside the 32-year-old in the Scotland squad.
With a place in Gordon Strachan’s pool for the opening World Cup qualifier in Malta, he is on the right track but has been taking a few extra steps towards improvement at club level.
‘Playing with the ball at your feet is a massive part of the game for goalkeepers now,’ said Hamilton. ‘Everyone wants their goalie to be the 11th outfield player and some are brilliant at it.
‘It’s definitely something I’ll need to adopt in my game and progress as I get older. I need to do it because every coach wants their keeper to be comfortable with the ball at their feet.
‘It’s something I have to work on and get better at. The gaffer (Robbie Neilson) is good at getting me in to train alongside the outfield players. He lets me join in a few passing drills or possession games.
‘Paul Gallacher, our goalie coach, also brings it into his own training. We do bits now with the ball at our feet.
‘I’m not the most natural of footballers. But to get better, I have to work on it.’
Although Hearts recruited extensively in the forward areas this summer, Neilson’s decision not to enter the transfer market to secure a replacement for the experienced Neil Alexander represented a significant show of faith in Hamilton’s ability.
The 22-year-old has started the campaign confidently but admits he is not yet operating at a standard that would allow his central defenders to consider him an additional member of the back four.
‘I’ve always been a goalie,’ he laughed. ‘I had a wee spell out when I was younger but my mates quickly shoved me back in goals!
‘When you see someone like Joe Hart being dropped because he’s not as good as Guardiola would like him to be in that department, it shows you the standard you have to aim for.
‘That’s the way forward. It’s the way a lot of coaches are looking at it. You’ve got (Marc-Andre) Ter Stegen at Barcelona, who is unbelievable at it, and Manuel Neuer is the same.
‘They’re a different breed. We shouldn’t forget that they’re all incredible keepers as well, but their ability with the ball at their feet takes them on to a different level.
‘It’s important that keepers are still praised for being good goalies. That has to be the main thing. Ultimately, if you go in there and can keep the ball from going into your net, you’ve done your job.
‘But it would be great for your team-mates to know you’re comfortable on the deck, if they play it back to you. It would build confidence throughout the team.’
Hamilton will train with Strachan’s squad in Renfrewshire this week buoyed by his previous experience with the full squad at the tail end of last season. Surprisingly promoted to the senior pool for the friendlies against Italy and France, he did enough to convince the national coach that he was worthy of calling back to provide back-up to David Marshall and Gordon. ‘It was a real eye-opener to see how good those boys really are,’ said Hamilton. ‘To train with David Marshall, Scott Fox and Jim Stewart and see how they do it was brilliant. It’s something I look up to . ‘The quality throughout the whole squad was unbelievable and I need to get to their level. ‘Just seeing what they do off the park too. It’s not just going into training and being brilliant. ‘It’s being professional and dedicated. They are all there for a reason. They are not there for a jolly. They are all trying to get better themselves.’ Hamilton admits he is still getting used to his status as his club’s first choice, never mind his elevation to the international fray. ‘I came into the changing room on the first day back for preseason and the squad list was up, with me listed at No 1,’ he said. ‘The gaffer pulled me aside later that day and told me he was going to go with that. It was a great vote of confidence but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.’