HEART TO HEARTS
Gordon pens new deal and insists there was no doubt he’d end up playing out career at Tynecastle
CRAIG GORDON insists there was never any doubt that he would agree the new contract that is expected to see him finish his career at his beloved Hearts.
The Jambos skipper has committed himself to his boyhood club until 2024 after penning a two-year extension on the day of his 39th birthday.
It means the Scotland No.1 will be well into his 42nd year if he sees out his new deal at Tynecastle.
Gordon was said to be a target for clubs in England, where he played almost 100 games for Sunderland before returning north to Celtic back in 2014.
However, he is adamant his focus was always on staying on in Gorgie.
And he says he always aimed at helping his first club continue their revival since their promotion back to the top flight last summer.
Targeting European football next season, Gordon said: “These things always tend to take a bit of time but there’s no question that this is what I have really wanted.
“Since I returned to the club the ambition was to, first of all, progress from the Championship and, then, regularly sustain challenges at the top end of the Premiership.
“We’ve done that so far this season, and want to continue that and consistently be successful in the years to come.
“I want to be a part of that and I’m very happy to stay and give another two years towards making Hearts as successful as we possibly can.
“I always set myself goals and I’ll be working as hard as I can to help push everyone on.
“And we’ll all look to set the standards required for us to be successful. We’re in a good position currently, five points clear in third.
“We must make sure we keep that gap and what we’re looking for now is to push on and get that European spot.
“There’s a lot of hard work yet to be done.”
Gordon has been key to Hearts’ success so far this season, pulling off a string of stunning saves to prove he is still at the top of his game despite his advancing years.
He added: “I feel good, physically. I’ve been injury free since returning to Hearts and been able to work hard as a result of that.
“I’ve been happy with how I’ve been playing and I need to maintain those levels.
“I almost didn’t want that winter break to come to be honest but I’ve played a lot of games since returning so I should take the break and then come back ready for the second half of the season.”
After leaving Celtic, Gordon returned to Hearts in June 2020 and has successfully pushed himself back to the top of the pecking order for Scotland with displays that are ‘world class’, according to Hearts manager Robbie Neilson.
He said: “I’m really happy that Craig has committed his future to the club.
“He’s been such an important part of the journey we started last season and the exciting thing is that we’ve only just started, so to have Craig with us on it is great news.
“I’ve said it many times but he makes the sublime look easy and I now just expect him to make saves, no matter how ridiculous they are. He is a world class keeper and we’re lucky to have him.”