Saturday 5th December, 2020 at 7:45am
Kieran Wright was yesterday confirmed as Thistle’s McCrea Mortgages Player of the Month for November, following an excellent month between the sticks.
Ahead of this afternoon’s match against Dumbarton, ptfc.co.uk spoke with the award-winning Jags keeper:
“I’m delighted. I didn’t really expect it, I thought big Brian (Graham) would have nicked it as he’s been scoring a lot of goals lately but I’m very happy to get it.
“As I’ve said before I was gutted for Snedds (Jamie Sneddon) when he got his injury. It’s never nice to see anyone get an injury but especially a fellow goalkeeper as we’re quite a tight group so I felt really bad for him. I keep in touch with him to see how he is doing day to day, as all the keepers do through our own group chat which I’m sure is good for him.
“Personally I’ve just been really happy to get a run of games going. In terms of the three clean sheets that’s not just been myself but the back four in general who I think have been brilliant in the last couple of weeks.”
The Scotland under-21 internationalist has enjoyed spells on loan at four other SPFL clubs during his career to date however he was quick to praise the set-up at Firhill.
Kieran added: “I do think this is the most beneficial loan I’ve had so far, I’ve definitely enjoyed it the most. Being with a full-time team with experienced players is something I’ve not had before. Being in training with the boys four times a week and playing at the weekend means there’s a great bond developing between all the players which is much better for myself.
“Kenny Arthur is a really experienced goalkeeping coach and we’ve got a handful of good keepers too. I think having that mix is brilliant. When preparing for a game on the Saturday you know you have got the right training and the right keepers to do that.
“I hadn’t met Kenny until I came to Thistle but I’d heard only good things about him and that’s exactly how I’ve found it. He’s a really good goalkeeping coach who obviously knows Thistle inside out, which helps, and he’s passing on information to me which I’m just trying to take on board every week.”
Thistle manager Ian McCall has been public in his praise not only of Kieran’s handling but also his wider game, presence and communication, points which resonate with the 21-year-old stopper.
Kieran continued: “Talking to the defence throughout the game just helps make everybody’s job easier, that’s not just me talking and instructing but everyone. Some players will give you a bit back which I actually like. It shows that all the team want to win as badly as each other. As a goalkeeper you are expected to be loud, be vocal and be a good presence. That’s something I’ve tried to do since my very first loan spell and will only look to continue.”
Congratulations to Kieran from everyone at Thistle and McCrea Mortgages – we’re sure it’s just the first of many awards in your career.
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