New first-choice goalkeeper Dean Gerken insists his relationship with Bartosz Bialkowski has not been affected by boss Paul Hurst’s shock decision to drop the Polish international for the East Anglian derby at the beginning of this month.

The move shocked supporters, even allowing for the fact that Bialkowski, who was on World Cup duty with Poland during the summer, had been less than convincing in some of his early-season outings and made some uncharacteristic, and costly, errors.

Gerken said: “My relationship with Bart has always been strong. We have the same relationship whether I’m playing or he’s playing, I’m injured or he’s injured.

“We’ve been together for about five years now and we don’t speak to each other any differently. It would be the same even if another keeper was to come in and play.

“We push each other and if he wants to speak to me about goalkeeping stuff, or vice versa, we have a chat. We are both professional about the way we conduct ourselves and we are mates, good mates after our friendship started a good few years ago.

“Typically, when Bart found out he wasn’t going to be playing against Norwich, he came up to me to offer support, same as I’ve always done for him.”

Gerken revealed how the change came about. “There was no mention of me coming in for a run of games or anything like that,” he said.

“I was told the previous day that I might be playing against Norwich and from that moment on it was a case of getting my head round it. I did all the prep as usual and it went brilliantly.

“Then we had the international break and in the two weeks I was conditioning myself ready to go again, preparing mentally and working on anything that I felt was lacking against Norwich.

“It was just like topping up my fitness and as I’ve continued to play I am finishing the games in better shape each time.

“I’ve had a few saves to make in my four games since coming back into the team. I’m old-school and ideally I don’t want to be making any saves.

“I like to make sure I’m doing my job, telling everyone else what to do, and then I don’t have to do anything! But I know that fundamentally I’m there to keep the ball out of the net so if I have to do that and long may it continue.

“Defensively, I’ve felt good behind the rest of the boys. Penno [Matthew Pennington] has come in and been brilliant, both in the middle and at right-back last week, and in all my time here, whether it’s been me or Bart in goal, the back four have always been quite solid. I hope it’s like London buses and other clean sheets come along again and again now.”

Gerken kept Town’s first clean sheet of the current campaign in last weekend’s goalless home draw with Bolton, who were reduced to 10 men before half-time, although Paul Hurst’s team were also one man short for the final 15 minutes or so when third substitute Jon Walters was forced to hobble off just six minutes after his introduction.

Walters, back on loan from Burnley for a second stint with Town, has since been ruled out for the next six months with a partially ruptured achilles tendon, news that has not gone down well with supporters or in the Town dressing room.

Gerken added: “We’re all gutted for Jon. Players always feel bad for a fellow professional when they hear that type of news. It’s a naughty injury, a real bad one for anyone to have, but Jon’s been there and done it in the game and he’s mentally strong enough to get through this.

“He’ll cope physically as well — when Jon takes off his top he looks amazing and is in very good shape. But having said all that, it’s not an injury you’d want to see anyone get.

“You just don’t want to hear that news and it’s hard for any player having to deal with that. We’re all wishing him well and I texted him straight after the game last week. I’m sure all the lads have been in touch and he’ll be fine.”

Gerken’s immediate task, of course, is to help secure Town’s first win of the season, hopefully at Birmingham on Saturday, the Midlands outfit having only secured their own first victory at leaders Leeds last weekend.

He said: “It’s definitely frustrating that we have still to win a game this season and it’s something that we obviously want to put right.

“When we get one and follow it up with another, or even a draw, we will look at our five home draws and they will become good points because we will start sneaking up the table.

“As much as we don’t want the draws, or the away losses, the points we are picking up are important. We’re chipping away at it and working hard.”

Gerken is also determined to remain number one in the eyes of manager Hurst, which he accepts leaves him little margin for error, and he added: “I’ve obviously had long spells of not playing in my time here. In my view being a goalkeeper is a niche position because as an outfield player there’s more chance that you will get on the field and influence the game.

“Being a keeper, 99 per cent of the time — or 100 per cent if it’s Bart as he’s in such good condition — you don’t get injured.

“As the sub keeper you don’t have the same feeling that you do when you’re playing, so once you get back in the side you immediately realise how much you’ve missed it.”

But Gerken relishes the competition that Bialkowski offers and revealed why he decided to stay at Ipswich rather than move elsewhere when his contract last expired.

He admitted there was interest from now-Premier League Cardiff back in December 2016 before he was handed a new contract, which runs to next summer with an option for a further year, adding: “Yes, that’s true, but there are always a lot of things happening, phone calls for example, that people don’t know about.

“There has always been interest from other clubs that would have allowed me to move on if I’d wanted to, but I’m not the type to go and unsettle the nest.

“As I see it, if the owner or the manager says you’re not going, you’re not going. I’m not the type of player to disrupt things, even if I might have been disappointed that I wasn’t getting regular games.

“I’ve been in that situation in the past and I was the one who suffered because my training and fitness went down. So when my contract was up and they offered me a new one I decided to sign it and stay, and I’ve no regrets about that.

“It doesn’t matter how well another keeper is playing. Throughout my career I have never signed a contract to sit on the bench. I’ve always signed on the basis that I believe I could still do a job for that team.

“It has been a lot harder with the form Bart has been in for the last two or three years but as long as I’m fit and healthy I’ll always be pushing to get in.

“Bart has earned his plaudits with the way he has played and I’ve no argument about that.

“But everyone knows the situation when you’re training from one week to another — one keeper is in and the other one is pushing to get in.

“Mentally, and it doesn’t matter which gaffer is in charge, you hope that you will get in and keep your place.

“When you play you feel you have earned your day off. You might sit down after the game and have a beer or a glass of wine, and you’re thinking to yourself ‘I’ve earned this today’.

“That’s instead of thinking, when you’re sat on the bench for 90 minutes, that you haven’t earned a drink.

“You can’t replicate the matchday nerves and I’d almost forgotten what that was like. You need that to have an influence on the game and also, afterwards, the excitement you get from having done well, knowing you’re worth your place in the team and have helped to earn a result.”

Photo: TWTD

cat added 18:56 - Sep 27 Gerks has done well so far, I can't recall a goal which was down to him. Flapped a bit on a few crosses but is well deserving of his place. BART has more presence and admittedly fills me with more confidence, but great to have competition for the keeper position.
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Europablue added 19:23 - Sep 27 "when Jon takes off his top he looks amazing"
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Bert added 19:24 - Sep 27 Two decent goalkeepers. Cannot understand why some are content to malign Gerken in the nasty way they do. Like us all, players are human and deserve respect even if they are not the best.
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Swn98 added 19:44 - Sep 27 Gerks has played better than Bart this year every player gets poor patches of form when Gerks does Bart will have to step up to the plate,unfortunately when a goal keeper makes a mistake they very rarely get away with it.
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Bergholtblue added 09:25 - Sep 28 Bart's burning ambition is to play for his country. He won't gt that opportunity warming the bench of a team struggling in the Championship. He will be off in the transfer window. We won't see Bart between the sticks again, I'm afraid.
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drewcudders1963 added 09:29 - Sep 28 Gerken has played pretty well since he came in to the side - a few good saves, so worth his place in the team at the moment - to be fair I am a great fan of Bart, but he was very poor at the start of the season and certainly cost us a couple of goals, so deserved to be changed as any other player not playing his beat should also be replaced.... Bart will be back though as he is quality.... keep it up Gerken....

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leahcar88 added 10:25 - Sep 28 HAve to agree with Swn98 for the first ever time. Gerken has player better than Bart this season. His loyalty to the club has been rewarded. Well done Deano.
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bobble added 13:10 - Sep 28 is he gay ? if he is, he has the right surname....
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