Elliott Parish feels the two-horse race to be Dundee’s first-choice goalkeeper is currently neck and neck.
Parish is the man who last wore the gloves for the Dark Blues, finishing the 2017-18 campaign with 28 appearances after taking over from Scott Bain back in November.
However, the big Englishman has since been joined at the club by former Hearts goalie Jack Hamilton, a significant signing made by manager Neil McCann.
The pair will be working together in the Portuguese sunshine over the next few days as Dundee set up their summer camp at the Vale do Lobo resort in the Algarve.
As is usually the case with keepers, the pair seem to get on like a house on fire.
Parish certainly rates his new colleague/competitor and thinks the battle to catch boss McCann’s eye is currently even.
He said: “It is the best thing for the club because you need people fighting for shirts.
“Jack is a great lad and is a very good goalkeeper.
“So I am enjoying the challenge, I must admit.
“It is just a battle between two goalies.
“We will have had a total of four pre-season friendlies by the time we get back from Portugal and then it will be about who will be playing in the Betfred Cup the following Saturday (away to Stirling Albion).
“Then you have a long league campaign after that so what we have to do is push each other on the whole season.
“I am not sure about there being an allocated number one because I imagine I will be sticking with my number 12 jersey from last season and Jack will get the number one shirt.
“That is just a number, though.
“It is about who is going to play every week.
“I felt reasonably pleased at the end of last season because we got a couple of clean sheets (against Hamilton and Ross County) but that was then and this is now.”
McCann’s men will play English side Mansfield Town on Saturday night in a training match and they then face local team SC Farense in Albufeira on Tuesday.
