Caltex Socceroo keeper Mat Ryan has welcomed the competition for his spot at EPL outfit Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Caltex Socceroos goalkeeper has just been named in Ange Postecoglou’s squad for the make or break World Cup qualifiers against Syria early next month.
As well as battling Mitch Langerak and Danny Vukovic for the number one spot in those matches, Ryan will also need to be on the top of his game at Brighton, with the Premier League new-boys signing giant Dutch stopper Tim Krul.
“Tim Krul is a great goalkeeper,” Ryan told Brighton’s official website.
“In football, at the top leagues, you're going to have competition for every spot.
“That's what makes your team so competitive, and we're all thriving off it.
“We all get along so well and keep pushing each other,” he said.
Ryan kept his second clean sheet of the season in Brighton’s latest Premier League outing, a crucial 1-0 win over Newcastle United which lifted them clear of the bottom three.
But the Australian custodian knows there’s plenty more work to do, especially with a trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal looming before the international break.
“Fingers crossed we won't be in the relegation dog fight,” he said.
“You don't plan to struggle the whole year. Hopefully we can keep picking up points and we won't find ourselves in that battle.
“There is no better feeling than a win. Hopefully we can convert a lot more home games into wins and avoid any sort of relegation struggle,” he said.
