Timo Hildebrand is hopeful he will earn more appearances for Schalke after making his debut in the 3-0 away win over Maccabi Haifa last night. Hildebrand joined the club in October after an injury to Ralf Fahrmann left the club with only two professional goalkeepers.

He has gained match practice with the reserves, but last night's UEFA Europa League appearance was his debut in the first team and he was pleased with his and the whole team's performance. "Games like this can always go bad in the worst-case scenario," Hildebrand said on his club's website.

"We were without a few regulars and the team had not really played together, but despite this, we played well. Of course every player gets impatient, but the coach has made it clear to me that it was important to get some match practice with the reserves first so I have remained relaxed and waited for my chance."

The 32-year-old took that chance last night, saving a penalty while keeping a clean sheet. "You shouldn't read too much into the penalty save," he said. "Sometimes you save them and sometimes you don't. We just wanted to keep a clean sheet."