New St Johnstone goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov has his sights set on the Bulgarian national team.
And the former under-19 international, signed by Saints from Cambridge United on a two-year deal, believes Perth is the perfect platform to further his cause.
“I wanted to come here for the challenge and for exposure of the league,” said Mitov.
“I’d made my mind up about leaving Cambridge early because I want to test myself somewhere different. It was time to move on.
“I want to become involved with the national team – that’s a big dream I have.
“I feel like I am really close to it now and hope that if I can come here, play well then the manager will see me.
“When I found out about St Johnstone wanting me, it felt the right challenge I was looking for.”
Premiership profile
The 26-year-old added: “Up in Scotland it is a tough league with a lot of big games – going to Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs.
“You look at this league and there is a profile here – Brendan Rodgers is a manager here, Steven Gerrard was, and you have goalkeepers like Joe Hart, Jack Butland and Craig Gordon in the league.
“So that’s top managers and top players in.
“You see players having good seasons in Scotland and getting moves to big clubs.
“I looked at that and thought this was a great platform for me to show what I can do.
“But it’s not all about me. It’s about being part of a successful team too.
“You have to make sure you do well for the club and if we are all being successful then it helps you as an individual too.”
Steven MacLean’s Saints sales pitch was a short one – and pushed the right buttons for Mitov.
“The manager didn’t have to say much to me to persuade me to come, to be honest,” he said.
“What I liked about him is he wants honest, hard-working guys who will give everything for the badge and not leave anything on the pitch.
“That’s what you want to be part of. You want to be in a dressing-room where everyone will work for each other and be there for each other.
“We literally spoke for 10 minutes. I listened to him say what he sees the future of the team being and where he wants to take things.
“It excited me because his vision is to build. It will take some time, it will happen slowly, but he has good ideas about the foundations he wants to build.
“Nikolay Todorov is my best mate – I spoke to him before I signed as well.”
Physical demands not a problem
There will be no period of acclimatisation to the demands of the Scottish Premiership needed for Mitov.
“I’ve been in England for 10 seasons and came through an academy there,” he said.
“I remember in my first first-team experience, I got whacked within a few minutes and that introduced me to British football straight away.
“I know what it’s like now. It’s very physical down in England and I like that.
“I enjoy putting my body on the line and love making saves. Keeping the ball out of the net is all that matters as a goalkeeper.”
Mitov knows he’s got a fight on his hands to earn starts for his new team, with Ross Sinclair impressing at the end of last season and the start of this.
“Goalkeepers always become best mates and I’m sure myself and Ross will get on really well on and off the pitch,” he said.
“Whoever plays, the other one will support him.
“You have to treat people the way you want to be treated.
“He’s a great guy and a really good goalkeeper.
“Healthy competition is really good because every successful team has good players in all the positions.”
Viaplay Cup aim
Saints’ immediate aim is turning around their fortunes in the Viaplay Cup after losing to League Two part-timers, Stenhousemuir last weekend.
“Everybody knows that Saturday wasn’t good enough,” said Mitov, who was on the bench at Ochilview.
“The boys certainly do.
“But I could see how much the lads were hurting and how much it means to them.
“This week will give us the opportunity to work on the things the manager wants to improve.
“We’ll stay positive. If we win our next three games we’ll top the group and that’s the aim now.”
