More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Ebbsfleet United goalkeeper Tom Hadler is happy to put his footballing skills to the test this season.
The Fleet’s new German boss Dennis Kutrieb has introduced a passing game, with Hadler seeing plenty of the ball with his feet.
It led to a few tricky moments in their FA Cup clash with Hastings on Saturday but Hadler knows it’s a style that the whole squad is comfortable with in the long term.
“We were all briefed on the plan and the way the manager likes to play and his beliefs, which is really good,” said Hadler.
“For us to come in and see the benefits of the way we’re playing is a nice thing. When the boys buy into the idea then it gives you the best chance of success.
“For me, it’s really nice to get the ball, want the ball and it’s a steady transition for me as a keeper because I haven’t necessarily played in lots of teams that want to play out from the back.
“You’re obviously confident you can do it so when you’ve got the boys around you who support you doing it then it’s a nice atmosphere to do it.”
There’s already been some high-profile blunders by keepers in the Premier League during the opening weeks of the season.
It’s far from easy to perfect, and Hadler knows he might not get it right every time – but that won’t stop him from sticking to the philosophy.
“Kepa Arrizabalaga at Chelsea showed the other week that no matter what level you are at, things can happen and it can get a bit hairy,” said the former Gillingham goalkeeper.
“But at the end of the day if that’s the way we’re going to play then you have to make sure it’s consistent and you can do it.
“We’re not play at all costs, we will switch it up when we know we need to or when the situation isn’t right. I’m quite pleased that we were able to adapt our system and we concentrate on that final result rather than just our blueprint of football.
“Goalkeepers always tell you we started up front and we moved in goal. When you come through academy football they want to play out and do it the right way.
“You get that initial brief and then when you step into senior football it can be different as people are more focused on results and it doesn’t matter how you get them. So, it’s nice that we’re results-focused and want to play the right way as well.”
Hadler’s key error came when he was at fault for Hastings’ first goal on Saturday – but he bounced back with some excellent second-half saves before keeping out two penalties in the shoot-out.
“It was a roller-coaster,” said the Fleet debutant. “We didn’t start well as a team, we went in 0-0 at half-time happy to still be level. We got the goal but 20 seconds later I’m disappointed with the first goal – it shouldn’t have gone past me – but that’s the life of a goalie.
“Then I got the chance to make a few saves and keep us in it but then they got their goal and it looked desperate for us before Ben Chapman popped up with something special.
“It gave me the chance to be the hero and do that little bit. I always back myself on penalties so I was pleased to get that opportunity.
“I haven’t been in that many penalty shoot-outs competitively. I do a lot in training and take money off the boys when I save them.
“So to do it in a game was really nice and to put us through to the next round was important to us as a team and as a club.”
He joked: “Of course I knew where they were going! There’s always an element of luck.
“You’ve got to read it as best as you can, their body language and then get some spring. Being a big goalie helps, it can be quite imposing, so once I went the right way I was always confident I might save them.”
Hadler has got the nod ahead of Jordan Holmes at the start of the season for Ebbsfleet.
But that doesn’t mean his place is set in stone.
“It’s been a nice battle and healthy competition,” added Hadler. “The manager has not set out as to who he believes is his number one.
“He’s already said between us that we’ll both play our share of games across the season.
“It’s a good goalkeeper union we’ve got with Scott Chalmers-Stevens as the coach. We get on well. It’s a funny one as you assume goalkeepers in a small unit might not get on but you have to, you have to support each other through the season and he’s a very good goalkeeper.”
Ebbsfleet continue their campaign with a trip to Braintree on Tuesday night in National League South.
There’s a weight of expectation that they will deliver an instant return to the top flight of non-league football.
Hadler said: “The most important thing is that we don’t get too wrapped up in everything.
“As a team we’re only interested in what we do each week, if we keep consistent performance levels and concentrate on the way we want to play then across the year we’ll get the right results.
“The FA Cup win has set us up nicely, it was our first competitive game and it’s helped us get ready for Braintree.”
