THE lot of a second-string goalkeeper in the Barclays Premier League is not a happy one, aside from the fact they are paid tens of thousands of pounds a week for doing very little indeed.
It is not the sort of life that appeals to Motherwell's Darren Randolph, who is out of contract in the summer but says he will only move on to a club where he has a realistic chance of playing. One of the finer custodians in the Scottish game for the last three seasons, the 25-year-old made his senior Republic of Ireland debut last September.
He recognises that only came about because he has been playing regularly, and neither is he keen to return to travelling around the country each weekend only to be left on the sidelines. "I have been playing for the last three seasons so I don't want to go back to travelling and then just sitting on the bench, and because there's a helluva lot more travelling down south than there is up here," said Randolph, who has one English top-flight appearance to his name, for Charlton Athletic at Anfield, of all places.
"I can't be bothered travelling on buses every Friday to sit on the bench and then having to travel back. I got into the Irish set-up and got recognition through playing. Within two months of not playing, I'd be forgotten about again.
"It's harder for goalkeepers because there is only one position. If I was a defender, I could maybe play two or three positions, anywhere across the back, and it's the same in midfield. It's definitely harder for a goalkeeper so anywhere I am going to play I'll be happy." Randolph was speaking ahead of this afternoon's SPL encounter at home to St Johnstone, his contemplation of his future contributing to an end-of-an-era feeling at Fir Park.
The fingers of one hand are sufficient to count the players with contracts which extend into next season. Jamie Murphy has already made an emotional departure to Sheffield United and Randolph admits that the camaraderie and candour of Motherwell's dressing room will be hard to replicate anywhere else.
"Jamie shed some tears after the last home game and again at Celtic Park," Randolph said. "He's been here for years and knew everyone. I'm pleased for him, though. He's a great player and a hard worker.
"He has a great opportunity to go down there and be part of history by getting promotion to the Championship with Sheffield United and then kick on again. The big difference between here and down south is we have a small changing room and we have fun, we have a laugh, whereas down there there's a lot more cliques.
"I think everyone being close helps because sometimes people might be afraid to say something or be critical about another player, but we haven't got that kind of changing room. You can say what you want and it isn't taken to heart. So it's been good for us because there's nothing hidden."
With a number of managers of Scottish clubs having been linked with vacancies in England in recent weeks, Randolph is surprised that Stuart McCall's name is one that has not come up.
"That is what we have been saying in the changing room when managers have been linked with other jobs," Randolph said. "It's a bit strange that ours has not been linked with any moves yet, considering his CV and what he has done with this club since taking over, with the resources he's had to work with. He has got the right players in and has us playing good football, so I thought he would be top of the pecking order for a job down south."
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