When Hladký left Liberec for the Scottish St. Mirren, his move in the Czech Republic did not cause much of an uproar. Podzim ended as Slovan’s number two, leaving the domestic league when he had caught 73 matches in seven seasons in Brno and Liberec. Nothing to make your chin drop.
“Britain was the biggest dream for me, step by step we got where we wanted to be. It’s been a long time, but I’m enjoying it all the more because it turned out the way I planned,” said Hladký at the beginning of this season in the program První dotek Zdeněk Folprecht on Czech Radio.
In St. Mirren spent a year and a half, saved the club and then moved to England. He was approached by Salford City from the fourth top division. The club did not hide its great ambitions, Hladký himself described how he dreams of capturing the Premier League. While Salford are still stuck in League Two, the Czech goalkeeper is touching the desired goal.
After one season, he transferred to Ipswich, which at the time was operating a competition higher, i.e. in the third league. Hladký first started in twelve games, in the next promotion season he scored only seven league minutes. Then came the breakthrough.
Christian Walton, until then the number one goalkeeper, was injured in the summer. Hladký got a chance. He heard from coach Kieran McKenna to focus on himself and not look back on anything else. That’s exactly what he did. He didn’t let Walton in between the posts, even when he treated his injured leg. Symbolically, he replaced Hladký only in the very last minute of Saturday’s match with Huddersfield (2:0).
The Czech goalkeeper presented himself with excellent footwork. It was discussed, for example, how he calmly played against Hull when two opposing forwards were rushing at him, and thus started the goal action. He made great saves. “He made a difference on the pitch, he was incredible,” said well-known English coach Neil Warnock in front of the Czech goalkeeper after the 1:1 draw with Leicester in January. A few days ago, Hladký shone with a famous save in the win in Coventry.
“You always have ups and downs in your career, that’s natural. But if you keep working, believing and chasing your dreams, anything is possible. I don’t think it’s too late to do anything at thirty-two. It’s a great age for a goalkeeper and I still have a lot ahead of me,” he remarked in the autumn in an interview with the Guardian, shortly before his thirty-third birthday. On one glove he bears the name of his great friend Josef Šural, who tragically died in an accident in Turkey five years ago.
Hladký will certainly be of interest to the coaches of the national team, who will form the nomination for the European Championship. He has not been in the national team yet. He definitely has a chance.
But now he will also decide what will happen next. He has a contract at Ipswich until the end of the season. He himself declared that he would like to continue at the club. After a fantastic season and promotion, the premiere in the Premier League is close. He would deserve her.
2024-05-05 09:52:25
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