Sam Walker was possibly the strangest signing of former Reading CEO Ron Gourlay's tenure at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The shot-stopper arrived in Berkshire back in July 2018, having failed to agree a new contract with League Two side Colchester United.

He may have been a key player at the JobServe Community Stadium during the previous season, making 44 fourth-tier appearances and keeping a respectable 12 clean sheets, but this addition was something of a surprise for the Championship outfit considering they already had Vito Mannone and Anssi Jaakkola at their disposal at the time.

The 30-year-old signed a three-year contract on his arrival at Reading, but only made seven Championship appearances during his first campaign with the Royals and was kept out of the starting lineup by January loanee Emiliano Martinez.

Even with Mannone's temporary departure to Minnesota United, Walker's starting opportunities were ruined by the form of Argentine Martinez and his career at the Championship side didn't get any better after that.

For the remaining two years of his contract, he made just five competitive appearances and went out on loan to Blackpool and AFC Wimbledon during 2020/21 to win more senior minutes.

With Rafael Cabral nailing down his place as first-choice keeper at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, Luke Southwood signing a new contract to extend his stay in Berkshire in May, Jokull Andresson doing well out on loan and youngster Coniah Boyce-Clarke stepping up to be the Royals' third-choice keeper, Walker was released on the expiration of his contract in the summer.

The second-tier outfit may not have had a choice but to release him considering their financial situation, even if they wanted to retain him, but he was clearly surplus to requirements and opted to join Scottish Championship side Kilmarnock on a two-year deal.

He has made five competitive appearances during his spell for Tommy Wright's men in the Challenge Cup and League Cup, but is yet to make his debut in the second tier of Scottish football and may have to wait patiently for his chance with Zach Hemming currently first choice.

Hemming is currently out on loan from Middlesbrough - and the Teesside outfit will be eager to see their young shot-stopper keep Walker out of the starting lineup having kept six clean sheets in ten league games.

There's still plenty of time for the latter to make an impact north of the border though - and at 30 - he's still reasonably young for a goalkeeper.

His side are currently sat in second place, three points behind leaders Inverness and will be desperate to get back to the Premiership at the first time of asking.