Q&A With… David Hutton

The Official Website’s Grant Morton spoke to The Bully Wee’s popular first choice ‘keeper ahead of the weekend match against Dundee…

GM: How did it feel to get the first league win of the season last weekend?
DH: Brilliant. All the boys are absolutely delighted. It was great to finally get off the board with some points and we are all now really fired up for the Dundee game and hope to get another 3 points.

How do you think you have performed so far this season?
I think I have done ok. The results have let us down, but I have performed not too bad. Losing goals, especially like we did against Partick, gets to you but you have to believe in yourself. I think I did alright at the weekend. It was good to get my first clean sheet of the season.

Was this the first of many clean sheets in the league?!
I hope so!

How has training been this week?
Training has been really good. All the lads are buzzing after the win.

Now that the team is off the mark, is there greater optimism in the squad?
We are all having a laugh, which is good. I think we have increased belief now that we can go out and win next week. It’s a good boost to everyone to get the first win as sometimes heads are down when you lose games.

Were doubts creeping in at all?
Not really. Everybody here knows what we are capable of. I think it was just a case of getting the first win out of the way. We all believe in each other.

Colin has admitted he has found it frustrating with regard to the lack of players coming in. Is this frustrating for the players as well?
Yes it has been a bit frustrating but we understand that the club has a budget and we have to work with what we’ve got. The younger boys have come in though and done well. I think a lot of the younger boys did really well at the weekend; McKenna and Bradley, just to name two, have come in and impressed. We do have experience as well though. At the end of the day it’s up to the board and not the players. We just have to get on with it.

Is there anything you think the team is lacking at the moment?
Not really. We have all just been trying to get that first win. It has been a disappointing start to the season but against Morton we had the daft decision at the end and other things haven’t gone our way. It’s a case of turning a corner and kicking on with things.

Has the start to the season changed your opinion of what the team can achieve this season?
No. Our main objective is to stay in the league but I honestly don’t think that relegation will be an issue. We have defeated St.Johnstone who are one of the favourites to go up. We believe we are capable of beating anybody in this league and I think we are capable of achieving a good finishing position, hopefully improving on last season’s finish.

How are you feeling ahead of Saturday?
I’m really looking forward to it. It was good to get my first clean sheet and I am really looking forward to getting another. I’ve got a wee bet with the physio about how many clean sheets I will get this season so it will be good to get another one on the board!

Dundee have made a solid start to the campaign. How do you rate them?
I haven’t seen them to be honest, but they’ve started the season really well. We are up for the game and looking forward to seeing if we can beat them.

You suffered an injury against Hamilton. Are you fully fit now?
I’ve fully recovered from that. I got a spasm in my neck after getting a wee kick from Gilhaney but I got a jag and had a couple of days off training.

Peter Cherrie has been brought back in. Does this increase the pressure on you to perform?
Even if there was any other goalie here, I have to perform as well as I can. Peter was here last season and I got my chance and took it. I get on well with Peter and we have a good bit of banter. I think the competition is good because it means if I have a couple of bad games then I will be worried about losing my place, so I know I have to keep performing to stay in the team.

Do you think that the current squad can cope?
Definitely. I think we can cope with any team in the league. As mentioned before the young guys have really been performing well. If you look at our back four, it is strong and we will have Craigy (McKeown) coming back soon. We had the best defensive record in the league last year, so I think we can do fine with what we’ve got.

There has been some speculation of players leaving. Does this affect the team and its preparation?
No. It doesn’t affect me anyway. You just have to get on with it. I don’t read about anything in the media. If you paid it any attention you’d start worrying about who will be playing so you just have to switch off from it.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing team this season?
I think bringing in a few more players. It’s going to be a hard season as it is a very strong league this year but we are focused on finishing as high as we can and are ready to battle away.

Why be a goalkeeper?!
Because I’m stupid! All the lads call me The Monk, like the guy from Mean Machine, because I’m always doing stupid things! My dad was a goalkeeper in his day so that’s what encouraged me to do it.

Which goalie do you model yourself on?
I don’t think anybody. When I was young I really liked Andy Goram. I was coached by Jim Leighton and Peter Latchford at Aberdeen so they were a big influence. I think you just have to look at yourself and your own style and strengths.

When arriving at Clyde, what ‘sold’ the club to you?
When I first came here, all the boys were great and there was some good banter between us, which really made me feel welcome. It’s a good club with a nice stadium and a there is a great atmosphere with everybody involved. Even Mags the Kit Manager is great! The fans are really great as well.

Do you have any messages for the fans?
I’d like to say that we are going to try hard to beat Dundee at the weekend. Despite any speculation that is about, all the boys want to stick together and perform for them.