Goalkeeping guru Lindsay Hamilton joins Glasgow City coaching staff

Feb 4 2010 By Matthew Leslie

Lindsay Hamilton

GLASGOW CITY have made their first signing of the year by appointing ex-St Johnstone goalkeeper Lindsay Hamilton as goalkeeping coach.

The former Rangers, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Queen's Park, Partick and Stenhousemuir stopper joins the club as they bid not only to retain their Premier League crown but to make their mark on Europe this year.

Hamilton will take charge not only of current first team keepers Claire Johnstone and Laura Williamson but also the reserve, under-15 and under-13 team goalies.

City coach Eddie Wolecki said: "We've had 'special guest' goalkeeping coaches in on occasional training nights so looking for a full-time specialist coach was a priority. "We heard Lindsay was available and once we made contact, he was very keen to talk to us.

"He's an infectious character and has already hit the ground running in analysing and assessing all the goalies at the club - not just Claire and Laura.

"His arrival has been a wake-up call to all of them and if he feels they are not making the grade in training then there may be some changes."

Hamilton himself has promised the team that he won't be giving the 'hairdryer treatment' if his goalies make the odd error.

He said: "I'm not a big bad guy - my approach is to look at things calmly and offer advice ina constructive way.

"When I played for Dunfermline, the famous Celtic keeper Ronnie Simpson was the goalie coach there and he was an absolute gentleman who knew that a measured approach was the best way of getting his point across.

"He was fantastic to work with and you really learned a lot from the way he carried his points over.

"I've found that in my experience, people won't listen to a screamer but are more receptive to a calmer approach be it to receive advice or criticism.

"From the short space of time I've been here, I've been impressed with the City keepers' attitude.

"They are keen to learn from any knowledge I can give them and we'll be working hard to ensure they can be the best they can."

Meanwhile, City are set to make history in the women's game this weekend by becoming the first Scottish club to host a weekend training camp.

Wolecki said: "We're always looking at new ways to improve and hopefully this camp will help us become even stronger.

"For the weekend, I've invited a guest speaker in the form of a clinical psychologist and hopefully what he'll say will provide some valuable insight for the girls which might help them for the season ahead.

"I've not gone down the route like other teams in bringing a sports psychologist as I feel they have their own preconceived ideas whereas the person I'm inviting has a more open approach."