Newly-promoted Barnet have announced the signing of Scottish international goalkeeper Cieran Slicker on a season-long loan deal from Ipswich Town, as per the club’s official website.
Dean Brennan’s Complicated History With Goalkeepers
Slicker adds to Barnet’s already strong goalkeeping stocks as the Bees have added three goalkeepers from different areas of the football pyramid this summer.
The first arrival was that of Owen Evans, who kept a stunning 12 clean sheets in just 18 league games whilst on loan with the Bees at the back end of last season as they secured the National League title. The Welshman has enjoyed a distinguished EFL career, playing 117 games in League Two to date.
On the eve of the Bees’ Carabao Cup preliminary round tie against Newport County, they announced the signing of Joe Wright. The 24-year-old has made the vast majority of his senior appearances in non-league and is coming off the back of an impressive stint in the National League South with Eastbourne Borough.
Slicker has yet another notably different career path. The youngest of the trio, the Scotsman is one of a select group of players to make an international appearance without first making a league appearance.
The 22-year-old has made three appearances for Rochdale, whilst on loan from Manchester City, and three appearances for Ipswich Town, all of which have come in the EFL Trophy, the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
His signing may come as somewhat of a surprise for many given how dominant Evans was in the National League last season, but it represents Barnet manager Dean Brennan’s complex history with goalkeepers.
The Irishman rarely sticks with a single first-choice goalkeeper throughout an entire season, often looking to find an upgrade in the position for the second half of the campaign.
But, given Evans’ poor performance on the opening day of the season, after which he was openly criticised by his manager, Brennan has acted even more quickly than usual, saying:
“Part of our recruitment policy this year was to have two players in every position and Slicks gives us that.
“Obviously we’ve tracked and monitored him for a long time. We had the opportunity to do a deal this week and I felt it was a good time to do it – I felt it was the right thing for the group.“
Writer’s View
If Evans is out of Brennan’s plans already, that seems extremely harsh, but the Bees must have offered assurances to Ipswich with regard to Slicker’s playing time.
The Welshman delayed making the switch to North London on a permanent basis due to personal matters, which has meant that he is not quite yet up to speed, but his performances last season have more than earned him a second chance at the Hive.
