ADAM Federici insists he is not prepared to play second fiddle to Artur Boruc – despite vowing to draw the best from his rival.

The 30-year-old goalkeeper, signed on a free after his Reading contract expired this summer, faces a four-way battle with Boruc, Lee Camp and Ryan Allsop for the number one jersey at Dean Court.

Boruc made the position his own having been drafted in on loan from Southampton last season and having helped Cherries reach the Premier League, boss Eddie Howe quickly snapped up the giant Pole permanently.

Federici was ever-present in Reading’s Championship title triumph in 2012 but a series of niggling injuries saw him share Premier League duties with Alex McCarthy.

And the Australia international is eager to make the most of his latest shot at the big time three years after enduring that stop-start season in the top flight with the Royals.

Federici told the Daily Echo: “I am here to play and will give it my all in pre-season. You need two good goalkeepers in the Premier League, it is a demanding level and I look forward to working with Artur.

“We have been working together and he seems like a top man. I will enjoy the challenge that lies ahead and I am sure he will as well.

“I have played against him quite a few times and he is a very good goalkeeper. He is a different character but it is always good to have people like that, not everyone can be the same and he is a top guy. I am sure we will bring out the best in each other.”

During more than a decade of service in Berkshire, Federici worked his way up from fourth-choice keeper to make more than 200 league appearances for Reading, a process he believes can aid his bid to play a regular role for Cherries.

“The mental side is huge because you can be a hero one second and a villain in the same game,” he added. “That isn’t the same in any other position so you do have to be a bit of a special breed but I enjoy the pressure that comes with it.

“I have a lot of experience of with both sides of goalkeeping now and that has made me stronger. I feel like I have got better as I have got older and I’m looking forward to the next four or five years of my career.”

On his start to pre-season in Dorset, he said: “It has been great. The training has been really sharp and the football is good so it’s a nice way to start.

“I know what the guys will be going through and although I have only been around it for a few days, there is clearly a good team spirit in the group. That will be massive going forward.

"This season is going to be tough but everyone is looking forward to it.”