Town stopper speaks of 'unfinished business' after heading back to Tannadice

Town keeper Jack Walton felt he had some ‘unfinished business’ when agreeing another season-long loan with Dundee United yesterday.

The 26-year-old was part of a Tangerines side who won the Scottish Championship title last term, picking up a record-breaking 19 clean sheets from 36 outings, as he didn’t miss a minute of the league campaign. Having played a massive role in the club making an immediate return to the highest tier of Scottish football, Walton, who would have found it tough to displace Town number one Thomas Kaminski next season after the Belgian’s excellent Premier League campaign, opted to be number one for the Tangerines once more.

Speaking to the club’s official website about his decision to head north of the border, he said: “I'm delighted to finally get the deal done and be back up here and looking forward to the season ahead. As soon as the season finished the discussions started. It's taken a bit longer to finally get the deal over the line, it’s now all sorted and I’m happy to be back up here.

"We had great success last year, both personally and collectively as a team and I felt like I had some unfinished business. The team getting promoted, I wanted a taste of being up in the Premiership. I made it very clear that I really enjoyed my time up here, I felt quite settled here and I was enjoying my football. So we thought it was the right move for myself to continue my journey up here and move it on to another season.”Walton starred as United’s last line of defence as they finished six points clear of Raith Rovers, with 22 wins and only five defeats in total. On how he found it on a personal level last season, Walton, who made 44 appearances in all competitions, by far the most he has made during a campaign, continued: “I felt like I learned a lot last season.

"In certain games I didn't have that much to do, but I had to show my concentration as there were always one or two key moments in a game that I had to produce and be really good. There were obviously certain aspects of a game that I’ve not experienced and that’s being in a promotion winning side, so I felt like I learnt a lot.”

Going into the new season, United are now ninth favourites at 750/1 with the bookies to win the title, as Walton knows it could be a different type of campaign ahead where he is far busier, particularly when going to the likes of Parkhead and Ibrox. It's what he wants though, adding: “I know this season there'll be different challenges, but I'm looking forward to playing at different grounds as I'm a keeper that likes the big occasion, the crowds.

"I've also been at teams in the past where they've not dominated the ball and had to make a lot of saves, so it's something I'm quite used to, it's not something I’ll shy away from and I'm looking forward to different challenges. Sometimes the games where you get a lot to do are easier than the games you don't have a lot to do, because you're always involved in the game. Every game’s different, you've always got to play the game and make sure you go out and do your best.”

Walton was a real favourite among the supporters last term, with his signing being met with real joy from those who had been desperate to see him back for the new campaign. He wants to carry on that relationship as well, adding: “I was really privileged to get that connection with the fans. I hope they see that every time I put the shirt on last season, I went out there, gave it my all and did everything for this football club.

"I'm looking forward to doing that again, that's one big reason why I wanted to come back up, the atmosphere’s. I’ve heard that the Dundee derby is a special one and it's something I’ll be looking forward to and something I thrive off.”