I’ve been lucky to win a few finals but it’s no fun to lose one.. I don’t want to experience torture again after 2020 loss
SAYS CRAIG GORDON
HE’S got so many appearances in major cup finals to his name Craig Gordon has lost count.
For his own benefit the total is seven, nine if you include those occasions he was a sub. And it will become 10 today when he leads Hearts out for Scottish football’s showpiece event against Rangers.
A seamless run of eight straight victories with the Jambos and Celtic – five League Cups and three Scottish Cups – led up to the veteran shot-stopper’s first taste of defeat in this competition in 2020 when his current side lost to his former employers on penalties.
It’s all academic to Gordon though. Despite a career that has delivered enough silverware to fill two cabinets he refuses to look back.
That can wait until father time finally convinces the 39-year-old to hang up the gloves. For now it’s all eyes forward. And that means to this afternoon’s showdown with Rangers at Hampden.
Despite a brilliant first season back in the top flight which has seen them finish 13 points clear in third and tucked in behind Rangers, Robbie Neilson’s side only managed to take a point from four league meetings with today’s opponents.
It means they head to the National Stadium as underdogs. But Gordon is relishing the task of upsetting the odds as he prepares for another shot at landing what would be a 15th winners’ medal in total.
He said: “How many finals have I played in? I actually don’t know! I don’t look back too often, it’s always about the next one and looking to achieve something more.
“We got there two seasons ago but didn’t win it. We’ve improved since then, we’re in a better place and have new players who didn’t experience that final.
“It’s never nice to lose a final. I’ve been lucky enough to not lose too many but it’s not a nice feeling. We know how it feels and we don’t want to feel that way again.”
It’s 16 years since Gordon lifted his first major trophy in this competition as, alongside current boss Robbie Neilson, he helped Hearts squeeze past minnows Gretna on penalties.
He said: “If someone had told me back in 2006 I’d be at Hearts playing in another Scottish Cup final I wouldn’t have believed them. It’s been a long time. I’m not sure if anyone has won two cups 16 years apart. That might be another little bit of history but we have to get everything right for that to happen.
“This is a chance to go out of this season on a high and that’s what we’ve been preparing for.
“The Gretna game years ago shows it’s just about winning, any way you can. And it also shows how well underdogs can do in football.
“There are always things from games gone by you can pick up inspiration from. We made heavy weather of it that day, we struggled to win it but got there on penalties in the end.
“This time we go into it as the underdogs, we’re the Gretna in this one, but that’s fine. Do I prefer that? I’ve had it both ways.
“I do like going in with the confidence knowing you’re the bigger team and if you get everything absolutely right then you should win it.
“But the other side of that is as underdog you have to get everything right to give yourselves a chance. That’s what we have to aim for this week – get everything spot on.
“We have a few players just getting back, there are boys trying really hard to be fit for this one.
“So there’s a mix of adrenalin and hopefully that can get them through because there’s no bigger prize than a Scottish Cup final.
“It’s one last game, let’s give it everything because we have everything to gain from it.”
Gordon will be deprived of the opportunity of facing his old adversary Allan McGregor for what would probably have been the last time at Hampden. Gio van Bronckhorst is set to keep faith with his cup keeper Jon McLaughlin for the big occasion.
And while Gordon understands the decision, he would have loved the chance to share the big stage with McGregor one last time.
The Tynecastle skipper said: “We go back a long time. He was a year older than me in the Edinburgh schools teams.
“I remember going up to sit on the bench for their age group when he was playing
and he was a fantastic goalkeeper back then.
“Allan has gone on to have a great career. We’ll see what their team selection is but he has had a fantastic career and I’ve got nothing but respect for what he has achieved.”
Despite coming out on the wrong end of a spot-kick cup final defeat to Celtic two years ago Gordon isn’t a big believer in swotting up on the opposition – even after Rangers’ Europa League Final went to penalties on Wednesday night.
He said: “You can do your homework but then they step up knowing you’ve watched their last penalty, so there are pros and cons to that. Everybody can do something different or change their mind in a cup final.
“I don’t think it has a massive bearing. There are a lot of mind games between now and then.
“All season we’ve stuck together as a group and that counts for a lot in these one-off games.
“We will be fighting for each other and for everyone watching us.”