‘Surreal’… Ross County player shares what Joe Hart did after Celtic beat them at the weekend
Celtic fans have known since Joe Hart signed for the club that he is a class act. The professionalism and leadership he has brought have helped deliver success to the club over the past two and a half seasons.
The veteran keeper has the respect of his peers, coaching staff and the manager for the way he conducts himself on the pitch.
But it was what Hart did off it that impressed Ross County’s keeper George Wickens. The youngster played a blinder at Celtic Park with a range of impressive saves and two consecutive penalty stops from Luis Palma.
And here he reveals the touch of class from Hart after the final whistle that has earned the Celtic goalie more respect from his opposite number one.
Wickens said [The Press and Journal print edition page 50], “I tried not to think about it too much at the start of the game.
“But growing up he was sort of my idol in terms of watching him for England. I watched a number of YouTube clips on him, trying to base quite a lot of my game off him.
“To share the same pitch as him was a bit surreal. It probably hasn’t sunk in yet, but I managed to get his shirt at the end of the game which was nice.
“He was very supportive. We are at the same agency so he is aware of my situation and just told me to come up here and show what I can do. There were some positive words from him, which I really appreciated. It’s a good start.”
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Clearly, meeting his idol has left a mark on young Wickens and it seems he in turn has earned the respect of Hart after his Parkhead display.
With his contract running out at the end of the season, Celtic will need to either offer him a new deal or look at replacing Hart at some time or another.
But one thing that cannot be denied is that when the time comes for Hart to leave Celtic, his presence will not only be missed by his teammates but also Scottish football as a whole.
