New Dundee signing Adam Legzdins has revealed a glowing recommendation from former room-mate Greg Stewart sold him on the move to Dens Park.
Having spent the last three seasons as an understudy at Burnley, the 33-year-old Englishman is determined to get back out on the pitch after signing a deal until the end of the season.
Legzdins joined up with the Dark Blues for a brief trial this week before putting pen to paper yesterday and, being a keen hillwalker, says moving to Scotland has always been a dream of his.
But it was the regard former Birmingham City team-mate Stewart has for Dundee, where he enjoyed two hugely successful seasons, and manager James McPake that sealed things for Legzdins.
He said: “I spoke to Greg Stewart as soon as I heard Dundee were interested.
“He was my room-mate at Birmingham. I trust his opinion and he couldn’t speak highly enough of the club and the manager.
“He told me what it was like when Dundee are doing well and it made me really excited to get up here.
“Greg is a fantastic player, a cracking lad, and I value his opinion and speaking to him got me up here.
“I’m raring to get going.”
The 33-year-old arrives at Dens Park to battle it out with goalies Jack Hamilton and Calum Ferrie.
Having not played a first-team match since April 2017, Legzdins is desperate for first-team football.
The goalie has played just shy of 200 matches in his career across the lower divisions but admits things didn’t work out for him at Turf Moor.
However, he insists a move to a Premier League club was something he couldn’t turn down and it allowed him to work with England international goalkeepers Joe Hart, Nick Pope and Tom Heaton.
He also can’t speak highly enough of the managerial qualities of Sean Dyche.
Legzdins says: “I want to play games.
“That’s been the same throughout my career. Sometimes you make decisions that don’t work out how you want them to but you have to put yourself in those positions to test yourself at the highest level.
“That’s what I’ve always done but sometimes it doesn’t work out.
“There are reasons why but it doesn’t mean you are happy not playing.
“The opportunity to come here and play games, if the manager picks me, is something I’m really looking forward to.”
He added: “It was very hard at Burnley. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down to test myself at a Premier League club.
“It could have gone differently. I was on the bench and there you are only an injury or suspension away from playing at Anfield or in the Europa League like we were.
“I was in positions to test myself, it didn’t work out the way I wanted but I’m a better goalkeeper for being there.
“I trained with some fantastic players, I can’t speak highly enough of how great it was and I had some top goalkeepers ahead of me.
“When I was there Burnley were very lucky because they had an array of England goalkeepers.
“I can’t be down about that, I hope in my way I was able to push them.
“That’s gone now, though. I want to play football and, hopefully, I can do that at Dundee.”
Having spent the last few months looking for a new club after leaving Burnley in the summer, Legzdins says there was “no hesitation” in moving north of the border.
In fact, he and fiancée Lilly have special memories of a trip to the Highlands.
“I actually proposed to my girlfriend last year in Scotland at Ben Nevis,” he said.
“We were really lucky, it was a winter’s day with snow on the ground but it was sunny.
“We have lots of fond memories of Scotland.
“We come up regularly and like to get out in nature so nowhere better than here.
“I like to try new places and I’ve always fancied living in Scotland so there was no hesitation.”