Hibs goalie on clean sheets, big ambitions - and playing against 'idol' Butland at Ibrox
Bursik grateful for Rangers goalie’s guiding hand early in career
Little victories and baby steps are all part of a bigger recovery story at Hibs. A first league win of the season – and a clean sheet, to boot – will be doing quite a bit of heavy lifting, on the confidence front, as David Gray’s men head to Ibrox today.
Josef Bursik, looking forward to meeting up with former team-mate, idol and goalkeeping inspiration Jack Butland, makes no excuses for enthusiastically celebrating at the end of the 2-0 home win over St Johnstone last time out. Embracing central defenders Marvin Ekpiteta and Warren O’Hora, he explained, wasn’t just some random in-the-moment decision.
“Yeah, for sure - I think there's some level of responsibility as a back three, two centre-backs and goalie, for keeping clean sheets and helping the team win in that way,” said Bursik.
“And we haven't had that since those pre-season games in that little cup run. So it was a bit of a relief to get that clean sheet, get that win and get that feeling back. You missed that as a defender, so that was nice.
“And a good moment; you play football for little things like that, so that was nice .So hopefully we can build on that, a bit more confidence and keep going on.”
Looking ahead to today’s high noon Scottish Premiership meeting, Bursik insisted that Hibs – chock full of players who have never been inside Ibrox before – can’t get caught up in the occasion, saying: “For me, I think as a team, you've got to try your best not to look at the stature of the opposition. I think you've got to look at them as a team based on how they're doing results-wise. Because otherwise you just get caught up in it.
“I know it's hard against bigger teams, but that gives you the best chance going into the game to do the best you can. I think a lot of the lads are excited, to be honest, it's something different if you haven't played there before. So I certainly am.
“So we just want to get out there and build on the last win. Get two wins on a bounce and then you are unbeaten in three - and you push on from there. I’m looking forward to it.”
While the atmosphere and surroundings in Govan will be alien to quite a few in this Hibs squad, playing – and losing comprehensively – at Celtic Park at least provides them with some inkling of what to expect, Bursik explaining: “I think in that one we were disappointed that we couldn't impose the way we want to play against them. And there's lots of reasons that happens.
“They come out of the blocks fast in a home game and we concede an early goal, and that knocks the wind out of your sails a bit. You want to get through that first 10-15 minutes, then stamp your authority in the game if you can. So, yeah, it was annoying that we came away from what we'd worked on.”
Speaking about his early days as a teenage goalie coming through under the guidance of Butland at Stoke, Bursik said: “We had a good relationship when I was at Stoke, I learnt a lot off him. It will be good to see him.
“When we first met, I'd just joined Stoke. I was flirting on the edge of going on my first loan when I first joined.
“Jack was always a bit of an idol for me growing up, so it was cool to go straight in there with the first team at Stoke and train with him every day.
“That was a big selling point, actually. It was a good relationship. I just learnt a lot off him, as you can imagine, in the Premier League. I was travelling to all those games and stuff, warming up at all the big stadiums when you're 16, 17.
“That's invaluable, isn't it? I learnt a lot; I had a good relationship for the years that followed that.
“For me, the big one was going to the Bridge because I’m a Chelsea fan. Going to Stamford Bridge, that was big. To be honest, I'd gone from League 2 at AFC Wimbledon to straight on pre-season tour with the first team, the Swiss Alps, it was a different life. You go from there to there, it's different.
“You find yourself five, six, seven years down the line playing in stadiums that big. It's a nice reward for the hard work.”