Hladky: You Have to Accept Your Role and Be Ready When the Opportunity Comes Tuesday, 20th Sep 2022 06:00 Vaclav Hladky will be given another, albeit rare, chance to impress in tonight’s Papa Johns Trophy tie against Arsenal U21 at Portman Road. Hladky, born in Brno in the Czech Republic, will be making only his third appearance this season after playing in the defeat to Colchester in the first round of the Carabao Cup before keeping a clean sheet when the Blues trounced group rivals Northampton 6-0 in their opening PJT tie last month. The 31-year-old is in second season with Town following a transfer from Salford City and he has so far clocked up a total of 16 senior outings, 12 of them coming in League One. Of course, Hladky’s path to the first team is blocked by the consistency of Christian Walton, who has only conceded six goals in the league this season and also kept clean sheets in five of his nine outings. He faces a tough task to dislodge the ex-Brighton man and wants to most of every chance that comes his way to impress manager Kieran McKenna and his staff, even if he is destined to spend most of what remains of the season on the bench. Hladky said: “We have a big squad and everyone wants to play, so this competition offers a chance to players who are not playing regularly in the league and the first aim is to qualify from the group stage. “We had a good win against Northampton so we are looking to take another step towards what could be a Wembley final.” Asked how easy it is to only play occasionally, the keeper added: “I’m not going to lie because it isn’t easy but you have to accept your role and be ready for the opportunity when it comes. You have to be focused and show the right attitude. “It’s a tough role because Christian is very consistent and is probably the best goalkeeper in League One if you look at his record for goals conceded and the number of clean sheets he has kept. “But I want to be out there on the pitch as well so I have to work hard in training to make sure I am ready if the chance comes along. “You know how it is with the goalkeepers. We are in competition for the one place in the first team but we all support each other from one game to the next. It’s the goalkeeping union — not just at our club but every club — and if you want to achieve anything you have to make sure you support each other. “The competition is good for us and the club, and it doesn’t mean I lack ambition if I am second choice. I see it is my job to push Christian as hard as I can for the number one spot, while his job is to make sure he keeps it. If for any reason he doesn’t play I have to be ready to take over.” While sitting out League One games is an obvious frustration for any squad member, Hladky regards himself fortunate to be able to work alongside a coach, Rene Gilmartin, for who he clearly has the utmost respect. “My relationship with Rene is brilliant. He is probably the best coach I have ever had and it really is a pleasure to be working with him. It is an enjoyable experience. “When the gaffer came here in December last year, he made it clear how he wanted us to play — his preferred style — and I knew it would suit me. “By now, of course, you can see it suits everyone because we are doing so well with it. “I want to play good football too, so from my point of view I’m really happy to be part of this squad. I want to play as the manager wants us to play so the goalkeepers are important and so is the way we prepare in training.”
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