Michael McGovern admits that the chance to play regularly in the Scottish Premiership was too good an opportunity to turn down after he signed for Hamilton Academicals on Monday.

Hamilton secured their place in the Scottish top flight following a play-off victory over Hibernian and player-manager Alex Neil was in contact with McGovern’s agent soon after to lodge his interest in the goalkeeper who was out of contract at Championship side Falkirk.

And McGovern met up with Neil and the Hamilton chairman on his return from South America with Northern Ireland to finalise the one year deal that was agreed earlier this week.

“I loved my time at Falkirk but I’m really ambitious and I want to play in the Scottish Premier League,” said McGovern. “I can’t wait for the season to start. I was five seasons playing in the Championship and my aim was always to get back to the Premier League in Scotland so I’m delighted to get the opportunity with Hamilton and it is up to me now to do the business.” The former Enniskillen Town player started out in Scotland with Celtic before enjoying spells with Ross County and Falkirk where he was first choice goalkeeper. And he stresses that playing first team football is crucial to him.

“The manager sees me in his team and I didn’t want to go anywhere that I was going to be back-up to anybody. I have a good chance of playing at Hamilton and I have learned since I left Celtic the only way I have progressed in my career is through playing regular football. This move gives me a good chance of doing that, and at a higher level. I just couldn’t turn that down. Maybe I could have held out for a more established Premier League club but I’m really happy with Hamilton and as I say the chance to play is massive for me.” McGovern also feels that Hmailton will do well in the forthcoming season.

“When I spoke to the manager he was really positive about next year and thinks they can do really well. They also have the momentum of coming up from the Championship and finishing on a high with the play-off. I think we have a good chance next season, it is a young team but I think the manager is looking to add players to the squad in the close season and I’m confident we’ll do well.” And at 29 years of age, he believes that he will be reaching his peak as a goalkeeper over the next few years.

“I still have a good few years in me and I should be coming into my prime over the next five or six years so I felt that the time was right if the opportunity came along to play at a higher level. I‘m really looking forward to it now,” he commented.

He does though leave with good memories of his time at Falkirk.

“Falkirk offered me another contract and I have to say I was treated really well at the club, there is no doubt about that. I will always look back on the time I spent at Falkirk fondly but players moves around in football.” It has been a hectic time for the Fermanagh man who was on the South America tour with Northern Ireland for the games against Uruguay and Chile.

“It was a good trip. We played quite well in both games and we tried out a formation that the manager seems to like. It was positive from the manager’s perspective,” he said.

The Accies new boy did not see any action during the trip, with fellow Fermanagh man Roy Carroll between the posts on both occasions, but he says that he will keep his head down and he hopes if he can perform well at club level his chance will arrive under Michael O’Neill.

“I’m not happy just to be there and make up the numbers, I want to be playing in the team but at the end of the day that’s not my decision and I have a lot of respect for the manager. All I can do is try and play well for the club and then hopefully, long term, if I do well for the club, I can fulfil my ambitions with the national team. You can’t take anything away from Roy though, he is first class and I think he can easily hold his own in the Premier League in England He is good towards me, he has been really helpful.”