I was kicking about in League Two in 2020, now I’m on the verge of the Premier League with high-flying Ipswich

VACLAV HLADKY dreamed since he was a young boy in the Czech Republic that he would become a Premier League keeper.

And after Ipswich’s storming first half to the Championship season, the 6ft 4in stopper admits he has dreamt even more about following in the footsteps of legendary countrymen Petr Cech and Ludek Miklosko.

Ipswich keeper Vaclav Hladky has been one of the great stories of the club’s season so far in the Championship

While the Tractors Boys’ rapid journey from mid-table League One fodder to now having a big chance to win promotion to the Premier League has been remarkable — so have the change in fortunes for Hladky.

Just over two years ago he was plying his trade for Salford in League Two.

And the Czech ace, 33, could barely get into the Ipswich team in the third tier — having not started a league game since December 2021.

But since first-choice and last season’s League One Golden Glove winner Christian Walton got injured days before the season, Hladky has played every single minute.

His string of superb performances have helped the team into second, building an impressive 10-point lead over third-placed Leeds.

And he told SunSport: “I’m not going to lie, I’m over the moon with how it’s gone. It’s been fantastic. I’m enjoying myself — not just me but the whole team is.

‘We want to carry this on. We know where we are and know our strengths. We know we can do a lot more too.”

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This weekend they entertain bitter rivals Norwich in the East Anglian derby — the first time the teams have met since February 2019.

When Hladky joined Ipswich they were two divisions below the then Premier League Canaries but today sit nine paces and 21 points above their foes.

The Czech star deserved his opportunity after being so patient playing second fiddle to Walton.

He said: “It was a tough one to be sure. Every keeper wants to play especially with this manager and in a team that’s doing well. 

“When you see how much progress this team has made during the last two years, you want to be involved. 

“But I’ve enjoyed working with the other keepers, the coaches and the rest of the team on the training pitch. Now it’s great I can put it all to good use on the pitch.”

No serious pundit tipped Ipswich to be an automatic promotion contender in the summer. In fact, you would have been hard pressed to find one that gave them a chance of challenging for a play-off spot.

But the Tractor Boys — along with Leicester — have been quite breathtaking. 

There were question marks about the depth of their squad and how they would cope after suffering setbacks — but after losing to Leeds and then West Brom they have just bounced back by going on good winning runs again.

Vaclav Hladky has produced a string of top performances for the Tractor Boys

Hladky said: “The Championship is hard and we knew we weren’t ever going to win 46 games. You’re always going to lose matches.

“That’s the nature of football. There’ll be runs where you don’t win but what is important is what you learn from losing.

“If you lose in a bad way or an unfortunate way you always must learn and not repeat the mistakes you make. We’ve done well and always when after a defeat we bounce back even stronger.”

But surely even Hladky must be surprised how well the team have done in the Championship considering they were in League One only in May?

He said: “We played Burnley and Rotherham in the FA Cup last season and proved we could match those teams.

“So I wasn’t surprised because we knew in those games that we could have done even better. It’s all about the process and getting the basics right. 

“That is what we’re trying to do. We know we are up in the table. There is a lot more we can deliver.”

Boss Kieran McKenna has been rightly winning lots of plaudits for the incredible job he has done at Portman Road since taking charge in October 2021.

The Northern Irishman is being linked already with some top jobs and aged 37 there is little doubt he is the brightest young manager in English football.

Hladky previously played for Salford and St Mirren as well as Slovan Liberec and FC Brno back home.

And he said: “Kieran is the best manager I’ve worked with. I can say that clearly.

“He’s been so enjoyable for every single player — even for those who don’t play regularly. I was one of those and he was fantastic to me then, as he is now.

Kieran McKenna has been getting huge plaudits for the job he is doing at Ipswich

“The manager just treats people well on and off the pitch. It’s simply a pleasure to work for him.”

Having lived in Suffolk for the past two-and-half years, Hladky knows how much this derby means for Ipswich fans.

And it kicks off a mouthwatering set of fixtures for the Tractor Boys, who travel to Leeds next Saturday before hosting Leicester in a top-of-the-table blockbuster on Boxing Day.

He said: “Norwich is a big game. For the fans, it’s massive. I understand. But for us as players, it’s three points and we want to get them.

“These are all exciting games. It’s a brilliant time. I’ve got my family coming over from the Czech Republic to watch the games too so we’re all looking forward to it.”

And for a keeper who was playing League Two just two and half years ago, there is excitement back home that next season Hladky might become the latest Czech keeper to reach the Premier League.

He said: “I’m dreaming about it since I was a child. But I’m dreaming even more now when I go to sleep, thinking how it could be. It’s exciting and something we all want to be involved in.”