Cieran Slicker is determined to bounce back from a forgettable Scotland debut, and he’s drawing inspiration from a familiar face to Celtic fans.
The Ipswich Town goalkeeper endured a tough night at Hampden after replacing the injured Angus Gunn early in Scotland’s 3-1 home defeat to Iceland. It was just the second senior appearance of his career, and it showed, with the young stopper conceding three poor goals on an evening to forget for Steve Clarke’s men.
But Slicker is no stranger to setbacks. Four years ago, he made his second appearance for Scotland’s Under-21s in a 1-0 loss to Denmark, where a long-range strike from Gustav Isaksen, now with Lazio, slipped past him at Tynecastle.
The 21-year-old explained how advice from ex-Celtic keeper Joe Hart has been instrumental in helping him cope.
He said: (SunSport), “Joe Hart was my hero growing up. When I was younger I was a ballboy at City too so I used to watch him up close.
“I tried picking up as much as I could.
“Over the past few years, I have spoken to him quite a lot. I was lucky enough to be able to be in a position to speak to him.
“Joe is a great guy and a great goalkeeper as well, with a great career behind him.
“His advice to me was to try and play as many first team games as I could and to never give up.
“The goal I lost against Denmark was a tough one and it cost us. It was all about forgetting about the goal for me.
“Once it went in, it was gone and there was nothing I could do about it.
While Slicker finds himself in the harsh spotlight now, the parallels with Hart’s own career path, which included ups, downs and a reinvention at Celtic, offer a useful blueprint.
Hart lifted seven trophies during his three seasons in Glasgow, before calling time on his career after helping Brendan Rodgers secure the Double in 2024.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has also drafted in Celtic-bound goalkeeper Ross Doohan, and Callan McKenna as emergency cover. Doohan, who is reportedly set to arrive at Celtic this summer, could be handed his first cap tomorrow night against Liechtenstein as Clarke looks to manage his limited options between the sticks.
