He has a problem in the dressing room. LFC fans prevail.

Goalkeeper Ján Mucha continues his career, signed with Scottish club Hamilton until the end of the year

After more than eight months, he is preparing to get back in action. Although he had considered hanging up his gloves for good, we will see him on the pitch once more. Former Slovak international Ján Mucha (35) has signed a short-term contract with Scottish top-flight club Hamilton Academical.

How did your move to the Isles come about?

“The club needed an experienced goalkeeper. They asked if I was willing to come and take a trial. We quickly reached an agreement. I arrived last Tuesday, and the next day we signed the contract. Then I returned to Slovakia because I had a meeting in my role as president of the Union of Football Professionals. But now I’m back in Scotland and training with the team.”

Does this mean you will be ready for Saturday’s match against Celtic?

“Yes, it’s possible. Such a game would be an ideal start for me. The important thing, however, is to sort out the paperwork, because in Poland things take a long time and we still haven’t received the documents. That’s why my arrival hasn’t been made public until now. We’ll see if the coach is willing to take the risk if everything is formally resolved only just before the match.”

How is it that the trial lasted such a short time and you signed a contract within 24 hours?

“The club mainly needed to see if I was healthy. I hadn’t trained for almost half a year, and it had been even longer since I played a competitive match (last time was on March 17 for Nieciecza against Szczecin in the Polish Ekstraklasa – editor’s note). It quickly became clear that I was completely fine, that my knees and ankles still work perfectly and hold up. After that, there was no problem agreeing on the deal.”

Until when is your contract valid?

“Until January 1 next year, or for eight league matches.”

Whose idea was such a short-term contract?

“Ours – mine and my representative Jozef Tokos. We’ll see what the situation is after that. Right now, I mainly need to get back into shape because I haven’t been in proper rhythm for a long time.”

After ending your spell with Nieciecza in the summer, the months without a club began to add up. How did you take that?

“I had various offers, but most of them weren’t interesting. I told myself that it could happen that even in the middle of the season someone might need a goalkeeper. On the other hand, I was already prepared to end my playing career for good. But for now, that’s not happening…”

What kind of group have you found in the dressing room?

“Mostly Scots and English players. The team has the second-worst defence in the league – that’s something we need to work on. The Premier League is a very demanding competition, hard to compare with anything else. Over the weekend I went to watch Rangers against Motherwell, which the home side won 7–1. It showed that teams here play a very intense style of football. Celtic are a class above the rest, then you have Rangers and two or three other quality clubs, and the rest are more or less on the same level.”

Did your new teammates immediately know that you spent three seasons at English club Everton?

“They did. The coach and many players are Liverpool fans, so we have daily ‘conflicts’. But, of course, in a good-natured way. They keep teasing me, but so far I can handle it. The coach is only a year older than me, so we get along quite well.”

What is your personal goal during your time with Hamilton?

“I want to have fun in goal and enjoy every day on the pitch because my career is winding down. I have plenty of work at the Union of Football Professionals, and that’s also why I wanted to retire, but I’m glad I can still try a quality league. I’m looking forward to what the coming days and weeks will bring.”