\n Cieran Slicker is currently on loan at League Two club Barnet.(Image: Ross Halls)\n<\/p>\n
\n Cieran Slicker knows he\u2019s got a couple of tags to shake off.\n<\/p>\n
\n One, simply being \u2018Liam Delap\u2019s mate\u2019. And two, the goalkeeper who had a \u2018horror\u2019 senior international debut for Scotland.\n<\/p>\n
\n That process is well underway at League Two club Barnet. At the start of his overdue first senior loan, the 23-year-old recently saved two penalties in a game and was named Supporters Player of the Month for September.\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s put the former Manchester City youngster in a good place to reflect on that night at Hampden Park back in June…\n<\/p>\n
\n Slicker had just five senior appearances to his name when he got the call for two summer friendlies. Three keepers being injured –\u00a0Craig Gordon, Liam Kelly and Zander Clark \u2013 had opened the door.\n<\/p>\n
\n He went into the home game against Iceland as third choice, but back-up Robby McCrorie\u00a0got injured in the warm-up and, less than seven minutes in, Angus Gunn landed awkwardly and had to come off. Thrust into the action, Slicker was soon picking the ball out of the net after a slightly loose clearance was ruthlessly punished.\n<\/p>\n
\n Two more goals were conceded either side of half-time. Some poor defending at a corner did the Town man no favours, a ricocheted ball squirming under him on the line from close quarters. A firm header (which was a close offside call) did then go through his hands.\n<\/p>\n
\n Scotland goalkeeper Cieran Slicker (left) reacts after Iceland’s third goal of the game.(Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n Scotland boss Steve Clarke said afterwards that Slicker \u2018wasn\u2019t ready for it\u2019 and that he\u2019d \u2018see if anybody that is not on the\u00a0beach\u00a0is available to come\u2019. Ross Doohan got the nod for the subsequent 4-0 win in Liechtenstein.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI wouldn’t say that I wasn’t ready,\u201d insists Slicker. \u201cNot prepared is probably the correct way to put it.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWhen Angus went down it was like, \u2018Wow, I’m coming on\u2019. It was really strange. It just didn’t feel real, to be honest. I didn’t feel like myself coming on. I wasn\u2019t mentally prepared to play a game.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI don’t want to make excuses, I know that I wasn’t good enough in the game, but the scenario in which I made debut wasn\u2019t ideal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n \u2018Horror debut\u2019 headlines followed, something Slicker admits was tough.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cPlaying for your country is every young footballer\u2019s dream. It was my dream. So to do that and it not go to plan\u2026 Yeah, it was difficult,\u201d he admits.\n<\/p>\n
\n Cieran Slicker (centre) is consoled by Scotland team mates at the final whistle.(Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI didn’t really speak after the game. Credit to the boys, especially the senior boys, they got around me and said, \u2018Don’t worry. It’s happened to all of us.\u2019 At the time those words didn\u2019t really mean too much to me though because I’m the harshest critic of myself.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe next day, all the boys were on recovery but I just wanted to train. I trained well actually and I think the manager was happy that I’d gone out to try and brush it aside.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt was a difficult moment, for sure. But I think, looking back at it now, it was a massive learning experience for me. It\u2019s taught me to always expect the unexpected.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere were times in the summer where I saw the odd thing and thought about it, but in general my mindset has been \u2018it\u2019s done now, learn and move on\u2019. I’ve got belief in myself and I listen to the people whose opinions I trust the most.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It\u2019s made me realise that there’s always going to be noise – whether you’re doing well, whether you’re not. You just have to try and block it out and keep a level head. If I had played well then I would have been on top of the world, loving it and my confidence would have been booming. But because I didn’t, and because of the way things went, my mindset all summer was, \u2018Right, I’ve got to lock in\u2019.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Cieran Slicker (left)doesn’t agree with Steve Clarke that he ‘wasn’t ready’ for his Scotland debut.(Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n He continues: \u201cIf I’m being honest, I don’t feel like I’ve made my debut for Scotland. I know there’s obviously a number next to my name now, but I don’t feel like I earned it.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBefore the game, I\u2019d probably played six, seven professional games. If you look at any international player that’s making a debut, most of them have had seasons of playing and working their way up to get that moment.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI was part of the squad because I train well and people can probably see my ability and potential. That’s what the manager’s probably gone off.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cLooking forward now, the feeling for me is that I’ve got to earn it the next time I play for Scotland. I got put into a scenario that was difficult for me, but having had a taste for it, it’s made me really want to get there again.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Cieran Slicker says he’s learnt to block out the noise.(Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n Pep Guardiola put Slicker on the Man City bench five times, including a Champions League game against RB Leipzig. In 2023, however, the young keeper decided it was necessary to move on to develop his career.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe plan was to develop at Ipswich in the first year and then go on loan the next year,\u201d he explains. \u201cAt the start of last summer there were a few clubs interested and I was excited for it.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Then things happened with the goalkeeper department – Vas (Hladky) leaving, new people coming in. I had a talk with the manager and he said he wanted me to stay.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI was close with a lot of the boys, I’d say I was a good guy around the changing room, and I think that was maybe a part of it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Crucially, one of the players Slicker was particularly close with was new star striker Liam Delap. The two had forged a strong friendship in Man City\u2019s academy and soon moved into a house together in Woodbridge. Delap went on to score 12 goals in an eye-catching debut Premier League season and earn a \u00a330m move to Chelsea.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think you\u2019ve seen on the video that got put out how it was with us two,\u201d smiles Slicker, referring to the wholesome club footage in which Delap declared their home to be \u2018the happiest in the UK\u2019.\n<\/p>\n
\n Cieran Slicker lived with Liam Delap during his impressive debut Premier League season for Town.(Image: Ross Halls)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMe and Liam, we’ve been best friends for years now. I felt like I was his chef, his maid, I did the washing \u2013 I did everything! I said to Mark Ashton a few times that I should have got a bit of commission for every goal he scored!\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI’m only joking. It was obviously all down to him and the way he worked. When he first came in, the way we train was new to him and I probably had to guide him a little bit in terms of how it\u2019s a bit more full-on at Ipswich. But he got used to it very quickly and everyone saw the outcome.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cSeeing him do well was amazing. If you’ve got a best friend and you see them flourish you’re buzzing for them. Now he\u2019s a Club World Cup winner and playing in the Champions League. Obviously he’s out injured now, but I know he’s going to be back soon.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAs for me, yes, I was ready to go on loan last summer, but I wouldn’t change things if I could go back. Being in a Premier League squad gave me great exposure to the level of players and the quality and I got a taste of some of the biggest grounds in the country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Ipswich Town goalkeeper coach Rene Gilmartin is working closely with Cieran Slicker.(Image: Ross Halls)\n<\/p>\n
\n Slicker may be out of sight, but he\u2019s certainly not out of mind.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI came back last Sunday and watched the derby with Mr Delap, so that was fun,\u201d he says.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI regularly speak about the games with Reg (Rene Gilmartin), the goalie coach, the sports science guys put programmes together for me, I speak to the analysts, even Shelly, the woman in the canteen, I still speak to her on Instagram now and again.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI miss the place to be fair. I miss being around it and all the people. But obviously I’m enjoying playing games now as well.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cOver the last two years I\u2019ve just been trying to improve, trying to step forward and stay on an upward trajectory to be ready for this moment.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cMe and Reg did a lot of work on video last season. Obviously there was no video of me playing, so I’d be watching the footage of Palms (Alex Palmer), Walts (Christian Walton), Aro (Muric). We\u2019d study a lot of European goalkeepers too. The boy who’s just gone to PSG, (Lucas) Chevalier, we watched him loads because he\u2019s probably a similar style to me.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt would have been easy for me, just there as being a member of the team for training, to not go that extra step. But I think everyone saw the pathway for me, worked hard with me and I got a lot out of the two years.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Asked if the pathway he mentions could eventually lead to becoming Ipswich Town No.1, Slicker replies: \u201cThat’s definitely my mindset. I love Ipswich, I love the town, I love the people, I love the county. I fell in love with it, to be fair, as soon as I joined.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cUltimately, yeah, that’s what I want to do – I want to be Ipswich Town’s number one.\n<\/p>\n
\n Cieran Slicker takes inspiration from Alex Palmer’s career.(Image: Ross Halls)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThings can change so quickly in football, so I try not to look that far ahead. All I can control is obviously what I’m doing now.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think Palms is a great role model for me. I\u2019ve spoken to him about how he was quite late going out on his first loan, similar age to me, and had two or three spells away before he broke through at West Brom. Now look at his career and the amount of games he’s played. That’s what I\u2019m now aiming and striving to do.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n When this writer suggests he\u2019s still very young in keeper terms, Slicker replies: \u201cTo be fair, I feel like I’m somewhat old and I should have been on loan five years ago and I should be 100 games in.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cLook at Traff (James Trafford, the keeper who made a \u00a331m move back to Man City from Burnley this summer). I grew up with Traff, he had a base for loans when he was 18 and is doing amazing now.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBut then you could also look at some other goalies that had the loans at 18 and they probably missed out on the development I\u2019ve had at Ipswich.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cEveryone has their own story. This is my story. The Scotland debut is part of my story now and I embrace that. It’s something I take with me. Hopefully in 10 years’ time, people will say, \u2018That goalie\u2019s played 100 games for Scotland, but his first one wasn’t too great.\u2019\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAnd hopefully the Ipswich fans will come to not just know me as Liam Delap\u2019s mate!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cieran Slicker is currently on loan at League Two club Barnet.(Image: Ross Halls) Cieran Slicker knows he\u2019s got…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-490162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-scotland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115353799626462798","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/490163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}