Andy Fisher could have been excused delaying his St Johnstone move until after this weekend.
But the on-loan goalkeeper is excited rather than daunted by the prospect of making a Perth debut at Ibrox on Sunday.
“I spoke to the manager about coming here, liked what he had to say and then looked at the next game,” said Fisher, who has arrived from Swansea City after recovering from groin surgery.
“When I saw it was Rangers away that made me want to go for it – why not test myself against them?
“Some people might have waited until after that one but I want to challenge myself at the highest level.
“Rangers and Celtic are huge clubs, the biggest teams in this league, so it will be great to come up against them.
“I know it’s going to be tough but it’s a challenge I’m up for.
“Given how the season has gone so far, I’ll probably have a lot to do in games.
“But I want to be tested, I need to get playing again so there’s no point going somewhere I’m not going to be busy.
“Can I make a difference? I hope so, that’s what I’m here to do.”
A good club
Fisher did his homework on Saints and looked beyond the fact that the first team is rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table.
“I trained with the boys for the first time on Thursday and was impressed,” he said. “We have experience around the group and some good younger players.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to about it told me the team isn’t far away. It just needs a few adjustments to improve it.
“I spoke to a few people. They all told me it’s a good club and I’d enjoy it here.
“Callum Hendry was one of them, we came through at Blackburn together from a young age.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived here given the league position, but the mood is really good – everyone is focused and ready to fight over the months ahead.”
Fisher might not have played competitive football since the summer but the 26-year-old believes he is ready to be thrown straight into the deep-end.
“I tore my abductor muscle off the bone in pre-season so had to have an operation,” he explained.
“Swansea brought a keeper in to fill in on the bench so now I’m fit again, the manager asked if I’d prefer to go out and play.
“They’ve told me I’m still rated there and I still have a contract but I’ve been out for a long time so this is best.
“I’ve been fit and training fully for a month now. The surgeon is happy with it and has told me it’s stronger now.
“At Swansea we play a lot of full-scale games in training so I’ve been involved in those to get my fitness up.”
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