Goalkeeper Robbie Thomson says the switch from Scotland to Spotland in the summer “was the best move” for him as he looks to progress his career.
The 20-year-old joined Rochdale following his departure from Scottish Premiership side Celtic, a club where he had grown up.
After spending 12 years with the Parkhead side, he admits it has been a big step for him in terms of him moving away from home, but says he is settling in well at Dale.
“I’ve never really had to do anything like this before,” said Thomson on his move. “I’ve always been settled at Celtic because I had been there since I was about eight so it’s a big move for me. It’s a new place, a new squad, but the boys have been great and I’m settling in well.
“It is a big step for me, but in terms of my career and in terms of progression, I think it was the best move for me. There was a couple of things in Scotland, but to get down to England was probably the best thing for my career to try and progress and I was really impressed when I came here on trial. The set-up and the coaching here is brilliant, so I thought that it would be best for my career to come down here and try and progress.”
Thomson trained with Celtic’s first team goalkeepers for two seasons before his departure and he says he has taken a lot on board from the experience, especially from Celtic’s first choice ‘keeper, Fraser Forster, who has taught him the importance of working hard both on and away from the training pitch.
“I trained with the Celtic first team pretty much every day last year and I trained with the first team goalkeepers every day the season before that so I’ve had two seasons exposed to Celtic’s first team. I was involved in all the preparation for the Champions League so that was a great learning experience to take on board and I’m thankful to Celtic for giving me the opportunity."
He continued: “I like to do yoga – I did it for the two seasons at Celtic and I think it’s great for goalkeepers for flexibility and strength and I like do a lot of gym work as well. I took that on board from Fraser Forster because he is professional in everything that he does and he taught me that preparation is everything. If you look at his game he does everything possible to benefit his game away from football. He looks at his diet, he does yoga, gym work and his preparation is great in terms of sleep, rest and recovery, and that is something I need to take on board, especially when there are so many games. And you never know when you could get your chance.”
You can listen to the full interview on Dale Player now.