Failure to pick up points has been Zlamal’s biggest disappointment

THE story of Zdenek Zlamal’s emergency loan at St Mirren was pretty much summed up in the 52nd minute at Tannadice. Big saves from Ian Harkes and Lawrence Shankland immediately preceded Adrian Sporle giving Dundee United a 2-0 lead. No matter what Zlamal tried — and his efforts could not be faulted — the Paisley side could not hold firm. Three games in eight days delivered no points. That luckless sequence cast a shadow of disappointment over an unexpected experience the Czech otherwise relished. ‘I’m very happy that St Mirren gave me the opportunity to play,’ said Zlamal. ‘I enjoyed it but it’s a pity that we didn’t get any points. That was a negative but the rest was brilliant. ‘The worst thing for a keeper is if you have a couple of saves and, after that, they score goals. ‘I’m very disappointed in that sense because I came here to help St Mirren. It feels a bit strange because I was delighted to be here, it was nice, but no points. And that’s the most important thing.’ Hearts agreed to lend out Zlamal after coronavirus protocols ruled out all three of St Mirren’s goalkeepers ahead of a Premiership meeting with Hibs. The Czech was recruited hours before that 3-0 defeat. A 2-1 midweek reverse against Celtic then followed before Jim Goodwin’s men suffered the same scoreline at Tannadice. ‘The first game was very strange,’ admitted Zlamal. ‘I came to the match in my jeans and straight away played. ‘I was delighted to be part of St Mirren for just one week. Now I am coming back to Hearts. ‘Did I have any hesitation in coming here? No. The gaffer called me at 6pm after we had played a game between the squads at Hearts and said: “If you go to St Mirren, you will play tomorrow”. ‘In the end, I was delighted. It was a good offer for me. I appreciate that St Mirren gave me this chance.’