Yeovil Town have completed the permanent signing of former West Ham United goalkeeper Marek Stech. The 22 year old joins the Glovers as a free agent, following his release by the Hammers last month. Since then, Stech's name has been very much on the rumourmill and his arrival has now been formalised.
Considering how well liked he is by Glovers fans, it's worth noting that his loan spell with Yeovil Town during the 2011-12 season only lasted five games. He arrived in mid-October 2011 as a replacement for the injured Jed Steer and lasted just under a month before West Ham's refusal to let him play in the FA Cup, followed by a recall to Upton Park meant that his stay was curtailed. Three draws and two defeats meant the club never won a game during his time at Huish Park, but his performances helped gain points that in all honesty the rest of his team-mates didn't deserve.
Born in Prague on January 28th 1990, he started his career at Sparta Prague before being signed by the Hammers at the age of 16. The 6'3" keeper made three League Cup first team appearances for West Ham, and before his initial Yeovil Town loan spell, he also clocked up three first team appearances whilst undertaking loan spells with Wycombe Wanderers and AFC Bournemouth during 2009.
He sat on the bench for West Ham on around 30 occasions as part of their Premier League squads, but never got onto the field of play in a League match for the Hammers. There was the suggestion that a contractual dispute between West Ham and his old club Sparta Prague was at the heart of this, with a payment clause due to be triggered if he made it as a Premier League player.
Štěch is a Czech Republic Under-21 international goalkeeper who gained ten caps at that level, including a couple that were sandwiched around his 2011-12 loan spell. He has also been extensively capped at Under-17 and Under-19 level for his national side.
His first contact with the Glovers came in August 2011 when he played for Yeovil Town Reserves against Torquay United Reserves in a training match in Devon, during August 2011, but that did not materialise into anything until Steer's injury forced him back to Norwich City, and the move came to bring Stech to Huish Park on loan.
Since returning to East London, he has had a further two game loan spell with Leyton Orient, where he teamed up with Russell Slade at the tail end of February. But that was curtailed when he picked up an injury and as a consequence he stayed with the Hammers until his release in May 2012.
Marek joins Yeovil Town on a two year contract, and thus will be with the club until the summer of 2014.
Link: Marek Stech : Yeovil Town Statistics.
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5 July 2012 : 
