Niemi backing for Czech deputy

8 december 2006, 10:00

Koen Freriks

Antti Niemi is backing Jan Lastuvka to prove a successful understudy as Fulham continue life without their first-choice goalkeeper.

Niemi is out for a month after having surgery to remove some floating cartilage from his knee and Lastuvka has stepped into the breach. The Czech stopper, who arrived on a season-long loan deal from Shakhtar Donetsk on transfer deadline day, made his Barclays Premiership debut against Blackburn on Saturday.

Lastuvka's first league appearance did not go as scripted with Fulham crashing to a 2-0 defeat but Niemi believes the 24-year-old will thrive at Craven Cottage, saying: "Jan is very agile and the saves he makes in training come very natural to him. He's got a great spring, he's a very sharp keeper and he's got a good attitude towards training."