Slicker endures horror debut – but who is Scotland’s seventh-choice keeper?

Six minutes and 37 seconds into Scotland’s friendly against Iceland to replace injured starter Angus Gunn, Cieran Slicker flashed a quick smile at head coach Steve Clarke.

The debutant panickedly slashes a Kieran Tierney pass back just 64 seconds later, and Andri Gudjohnsen arcs a fine finish high over the stranded goalkeeper.

Slicker was hardly able to adjust to international football.

One mistake, and one that is a relatively small one, is the goal. Bang .

He rushed his next few kicks before unconvincingly holding onto a shot from Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson at the second attempt, where his confidence was clearly shattered. His only nightly saving was this.

The entire Scotland defense did dreadful work to give up the second Iceland goal, culminating with Slicker failing to clear the ball off his line after it ricocheted toward goal off Lewis Ferguson.

The third concession was perhaps the most egregious of all the half-time adjustments and resets.

Victor Palsson had a direct header for Slicker, but the ball slammed into the back of the net through his arms.

Slicker was eligible through his Scottish father when he was acquired by Manchester City’s then-league Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2023 on a three-year deal.

Pep Guardiola, the city manager, didn’t use the 22-year-old in any of his first-team games during the 2021-22 season. Before moving to Ipswich, he also spent some time on loan at Rochdale, but he never made a league appearance.

He made a few appearances in domestic cup competitions while playing as the back-up keeper on occasion, and he was a part of the Tractor Boys’ squad that won back-to-back titles to the Premier League.

Slicker made his senior league debut last year for Ipswich, but he only played 10 minutes in the FA Cup.

The Scotland head coach told BBC Sport Scotland, “I really feel for Cieran.

He was thrown into a situation where he wasn’t quite ready, including Zander Clark’s injury, Liam Kelly’s injury, and Craig Gordon’s.

The only positive aspect of it was that it was a friendly game. [Angus Gunn] probably won’t play the following game.

Robby McCrorie went down in the warm-up, not to mention Gordon, Kelly, and Clark are currently out. He is most likely the one who would have faced Iceland.

Will Clarke turn to someone else now that Gunn and McCrorie are likely to miss Monday’s friendly against Liechtenstein and Slicker is likely to lose?

Former Scotland defender Willie Miller said of Slicker, “You have to find out what’s in the player’s mind as well as how he’s feeling about it.”

“Truth from him is what you’re looking for,” he said. Does he feel prepared to accept the challenge in the following game or does he not?

Does the manager want to remove him from the firing line?

McKenna, 18, has a smaller amount of senior experience than Slicker. Before making a 2024 switch to Bournemouth, he played nine games for Queen’s Park in the Scottish Championship.

He has spent the past week training with the Scotland group and has since joined their development squad.

Jon McLaughlin might be Clarke’s first contact because of his limited options.

The 37-year-old former Scotland cap has only played one FA Cup game for Swansea City this year and is currently out of contract. He was a regular player for the squad, had experience, and was likely viewed as one of the safest choices.

While Jon McCracken was a member of Scotland’s squad during the just-expected season, Trevor Carson took his place halfway through the term.

Scott Bain, who recently joined Celtic, and Ross Doohan, who recently signed for Celtic, would be other options for Scotland-based companies.

More openly about Slicker’s night than many people had assumed, Clarke.

He claimed that he was unsure about it because it was too soon. The young man has obviously been put in a position where he is suffering.

It also seems like he was always going to be the second choice before McCrorie’s injury in the warm-up, which meant he was always going to have more experience than game time. It takes a harsh line.