SHWAN Jalal – Bury’s fifth summer signing – believes his six years playing under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth will stand him in good stead for life at the JD Stadium.

Shakers boss David Flitcroft swooped last week to secure the 30-year-old Iraq-born stopper on a free transfer after he was released by the Cherries.

Flitcroft revealed he had been tracking the former Tottenham Hotspur trainee for some time as he bids to recruit a number one equipped with the distribution skills he craved.

And Jalal, who signed a two-year deal, is confident he will slot right in.

“I think the way the two managers – Howe and Flitcroft – like to set up their teams is very similar,” he said.

“At Bournemouth we did a lot of work on the training field on playing out from the back.

“The goalkeeper has the ball a lot and, while I may have to kick it into touch occasionally, I think it is important for any passing team that they show bravery in possession and try to play the right way.

“That was something the gaffer was keen to talk to me about and something I really believe in.”

Jalal played almost 300 games for the Cherries after making his name at Spurs as a youngster and also had spells at Woking, Peterborough United, Morecambe and Oxford United.

He played a big part in the Cherries’ rise from League Two to the Championship.

But after losing the number one jersey to Ryan Allsop, Jalal made just two first-team appearances last season, in a loan spell at Leyton Orient.

He was told he would be released by Bournemouth in January, and has had the last six months to find a new club.

Yet despite having offers from elsewhere, a brief spell training with Bury at the tail end of last season convinced the stopper the JD Stadium was the right place for him.

“I came up here to show the gaffer what I could do, and after speaking to him and the chairman I was really excited by the prospect of coming here,” he said. “Now I can’t wait to get going.

“They told me about the other players they were talking to and where they wanted the club to go. They really sold it to me.”

As well as fitting into Flitcroft’s philosophy, Jalal also believes his previous experience of promotion from League Two is what clinched the deal.

“I think the club is more than equipped to get out of League Two and I am looking forward to being part of that,” he said.

“I look at the quality of the other signings and the players already here and I am just so excited to be part of this.

“Obviously, I come here already with the experience of winning promotion from this league and I hope I can help towards that.”