Latest news with #CieranSlicker
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Barnet sign keeper Slicker on loan from Ipswich
Barnet have signed goalkeeper Cieran Slicker on a season-long loan from Ipswich 22-year-old won his first senior Scotland cap, against Iceland, this has played three times for the Tractor Boys in cup competitions since joining the club from Manchester City in manager Dean Brennan was critical of goalkeeper Owen Evans on Saturday after it was his mistake that gifted Fleetwood Town the lead in a 2-0 defeat in the opening League Two match of the season."I believe that he'll [Slicker] upgrade that department and that's how we raise the bar and keep pushing each other and how we upgrade our team," Brennan said. "I feel Slicks will definitely do that. We just want him to come in and do what he's good at."The Bees travel to Bromley for a London derby in their next League Two match on Saturday.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Slicker to be loaned out as he slips to Ipswich fourth choice'
Scotland international Cieran Slicker will be sent out on loan after the 22-year-old was told he is now Ipswich Town's fourth-choice goalkeeper. (The Herald), externalRead Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland have 'massive issue' in goalkeeping department
"The only good thing is it came in a friendly match."Those were the words of head coach Steve Clarke when he talked about Cieran Slicker's nightmare debut for Scotland, as the 22-year-old made a few costly errors in the recent loss to may have been talking about the mistakes, but he could also have been referring to the dazzling spotlight on the goalkeeping crisis in the country."What we've had for years is three top-quality goalkeepers," former Scotland keeper Cammy Bell told Sportsound. "Elite level in [David] Marshall, [Allan] McGregor and Craig Gordon. "We've been spoiled in that department. If one was injured, we had another who could step in at the exact same level. "Now, we've got a massive drop-off."There is some debate around who Clarke's first-choice would be if all options were fit. Would it be Hearts' legendary shot-stopper Gordon, or the currently unattached Gunn?"Craig Gordon, for me, is 100% the number one for Scotland at this moment in time," Bell added. "He's 42 years-old and he will be retiring soon. Where do we go after that?"Angus Gunn is the one that Scotland fans are unsure about. He's done okay when he's played but he's had a few injures. When he gets injured, where do we go?"Clarke took Zander Clark and Liam Kelly to the Euros last summer ahead of Gordon, who has now ambitiously aimed for the 2026 World Cup next summer, should Scotland qualify. But what about after that?"It's difficult," Bell said. "Zander Clark isn't playing at Hearts at the moment, he's 32-years-old. Robby McCrorie couldn't hold down the number one spot at Kilmarnock. He's not played a lot of football."Liam Kelly got a few games towards the end of the season, but looks as if he's probably number two at Rangers and won't play a lot of football."Ross Doohan came in, did a good job. Made his debut, kept a clean sheet. Looks as if he's going to join Celtic as a number two, possibly a number three."Scott Bain might come back into the frame because he's joined Falkirk to get some more football. But he's 33, not that young either."There is huge question marks. There's no getting away from it. We have a massive issue in the goalkeeping department."
Scotsman
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
'I felt like...' - Iceland goalkeeper reveals what surprised him most about Scotland at Hampden
A poor Scotland performance was punished by Iceland as they lost 3-1 at Hampden on Friday. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Goalkeeper Cieran Slicker will want to start for Scotland against Liechtenstein on Monday after his nightmare debut in the 3-1 friendly defeat to Iceland at Hampden on Friday night, according to to his opposite number Elias Rafn Olafsson. The 22-year-old debutant was thrown into the action after just six minutes at the national stadium when goalkeeper Angus Gunn appeared to injure his ankle when he came to collect a cross, while fellow stopper Robby McCrorie suffered a thigh injury in the warm-up. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, in the opposite goal, Olafsson was hailed as one of Iceland's top performers after making a series of excellent saves to deny George Hirst and, latterly John McGinn, as Scotland pushed to get back into the game, leading the FC Midtjylland man to admit the line between hero and villain is marginal when it comes to being a 'lonely' goalkeeper. Cieran Slicker had a nightmare debut for Scotland and was at fault for all three of Iceland's goals in the 3-1 defeat at Hampden. | Getty Images 'Of course, it's always tough,' said the Icelandic goalkeeper. 'Especially when you come into the game cold off the bench. Then when you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. I feel empathy for him. It's not the preparation you want for your debut, to not know you're coming in this early in the game as well. It's difficult. It's not going to be the most fun of nights, but it's about keeping your head up. It's just about now going to the hotel, forget about this and move on.' Asked if he'd ever had a similar experience himself, the 25-year-old was quick to recall his own error in the Europa League clash against FCSB last November, where he gifted the Romanian outfit a goal just three seconds into the second-half of the game when his clearance was charged down by Daniel Bîrligea. Explaining what he did to get over the mistake that saw his side fall to a 2-0 defeat, Olafsson believes Slicker must simply get back on the horse as quickly as possible, and backed him to start for Steve Clarke's side against Liechtenstein on Monday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It probably is [the best thing for him to play again on Monday] to be honest,' said the Iceland international. 'To come into the game and know you're going to play. That's 100% the best thing, in my opinion. I had one in the Europa League game. I don't know if you've seen it. It's a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. Elias Rafn Olafsson in action for FC Midtjylland in the Europa League. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima 'People see the mistakes. You have to be strong mentally for that. You just have to be honest. It's a mistake by you. You just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a part of the game. When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. It's a bit of a different position to the outfield players. You hope you make them in training, not in the games. But you can't always. It was not his day today. It was a hard game to come into. I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in as a goalkeeper off the bench.' His country's first ever victory on Scottish soil, the imposing 6ft 7in goalkeeper admits the win was vitally important to Iceland as he reflected on his own performance in Mount Florida and explained what surprised him most about Scotland's display. 'It's a really big one, especially with the new things we're trying to build,' said Olafsson. 'It worked out pretty well. Apart from the last 20 minutes where we fell back a little bit trying to keep the ball a little bit, it went well. It was really nice to play in front of the Scottish fans as well. It was a nice experience. It was definitely one of the most fun ones. It really was. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The no-win game that's become must-win for Clarke
Steve Clarke and his side are desperate for a victory against Liechtenstein on Monday [SNS] International friendly: Liechtenstein v Scotland Venue: Rheinpark Stadium, Vaduz Date: Monday, 9 June Kick-off: 17:00 BST Coverage: Watch live on BBC Scotland, iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app, online text updates, listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds Advertisement A friendly game against one of international football's smallest nations and worst teams is always a bit of a no-win. But after Scotland's painful defeat by Iceland, the friendly away to Liechtenstein is not just a must-win, but must win well for Steve Clarke before September's World Cup qualifiers. The Scotland head coach has come under fire since Friday's 3-1 loss after fielding a strong side - presumably to build some much-needed confidence - only for things to unravel dramatically with goalkeeper Angus Gunn limping off just a few minutes in. Cieran Slicker's unfortunate debut as Gunn's replacement took the headlines, but as Clarke himself has said, there was much more to the disheartening defeat than that. Advertisement Losing a home friendly after a long season against a decent Iceland side was not in itself the issue, but rather the grim nature of the performance from a squad that has shown it can be much better. The wider picture - Scotland have won just six games since the amazing Oslo comeback in June 2023 - also came into sharper focus after another home humbling. It leaves Clarke and Scotland needing to build positivity, momentum and confidence on the back of one game against the world's 205th- ranked side. But how? Lowly Liechtenstein struggling For context, only five sides are ranked lower than Liechtenstein in the world. Advertisement One of those is San Marino, who beat them home and away in the recent Nations League. The tiny nation, with a population similar to Greenock, only have a handful of professional players. They played away to Wales on Friday night in World Cup qualification and lost 3-0, failing to fire a shot, or even get a touch in the Welsh box. After that defeat in Cardiff, the Liechtenstein players were not afforded a chartered plane, but flew home via Amsterdam to Zurich, mixing and mingling with the Tartan Army in the departure gates and stingy economy class seats. 'Honestly lads, just shoot from anywhere,' was the gist of some of the patter, a gallows nod to Scotland's injury crisis in the goalkeeping department. Advertisement The Liechtenstein squad were even hauling massive boxes of kit and luggage from the belts themselves and on to trolleys, wheeling it all out of Zurich airport. A far cry from the elite end of the game. Liechtenstein will sit deep and look to frustrate Scotland on the narrow Rheinstadion pitch, it's going to be a battle in the heart of the Alps and one that feels more meaningful than it was four days ago. Fresh faces? Or experienced heads? The excitement from a Scotland point of view has to mean goals - and perhaps some meaningful minutes for some fresh faces. Clarke said he would freshen things up at his pre-match media conference. Advertisement With winger Ben Doak absent through injury, Scotland's attacking spark and width was gone against Iceland as they toiled in a back three formation. Could Clarke go to a back four again? Play with two strikers? It is a year since a striker last scored for Scotland, so could Middlesbrough's Tommy Conway, the joint fourth top scorer in the Championship, get a start? Although Scotland are well stocked in midfield, Motherwell's Lennon Miller did not look out of place when he came off the bench in the second half. More impressive minutes from him or Conway, or Kieron Bowie in a good victory might just bring some positive vibes back. Advertisement Regardless, it feels like Scotland need their holidays and Clarke might just want to get a much required win and forget about this window, hitting the reset button for the trip to Copenhagen in September. This head coach and group of players have recovered from poor summers before to reach major finals. The competitive games are what matter. Still, though, for those following the national team something more than just a win might be needed to stir the soul before the quest for the World Cup begins.
