I was so sad to see Marsh quit but I’d give up some of my caps to be keeper who stopped the penalty that got us to the Euros
Craig Gordon is likely to get his 70th cap for Scotland in Armenia on Tuesday night.
But he’d trade a few of them in to have made just ONE save for his country.
And the Hearts keeper says that’s something his retired rival David Marshall still has over him.
At 39, Gordon is the national team’s undisputed No.1.
He has already seen off Rangers veteran Allan McGregor, who stepped down from Scotland duty in 2019.
And last week Marshall – who is two years younger than him – also called it a day at international level.
That trio made up a golden generation of Scottish keepers and Gordon is the last-man standing in terms of being available to Steve Clarke. He can’t speak highly enough of his old room- mate Marshall. And the Jambos No.1 says he deserves his iconic status for THAT stop in Serbia which got us to Euro 2020.
As he prepared for our Nations League tie in Yerevan, he reflected on Marshall’s international retirement and said: “It was a sad one for me.
“He came to my room and we chatted for about 20 minutes.
“He told me about his decision before he announced it.
“And it was nice to talk about the years gone by and all the things that had happened to us.
“I really can’t pay a high enough tribute to Marsh.
“He has 47 caps and probably sat on the bench for more than that.
“We have all had to do that for each other at different points – but him especially.
“He has given everything to Scotland over the years.
“And I would give up some of my own caps to be the guy who saved the penalty that got us to the Euros.
“He’s got that over me and he’ll be fondly remembered by everyone for that.
“Marsh is a brilliant goalie and I’ve got on so well with him since the Under-21s and right through.
“He was my first Scotland room-mate
when we were in our late teens and early 20s. So it was a sad day to see him eventually go.
“He’s a great person to have around the squad and he will be missed by everyone, especially me.”
When the day comes it will be strange for Scotland supporters to see anyone other than Gordon, Marshall or McGregor between the sticks.
A younger crop, made up of the likes of Liam Kelly, Zander Clark and Robby McCrorie, has a lot to live up to.
Gordon has no plans on calling it quits just yet though.
And he feels privileged to have been part of such a successful era for Scottish goalies, when the competition has been so fierce.
He said: “Liam actually told me a stat last week, that there’s only been three European or World Cup qualifiers in the last 17 years that myself, Allan or Marsh hadn’t played in.
“That shows how long we have been here and I’m still going.
“We will see how much longer I can go for.
“We’ve been lucky that the three of us came through at one time.
“Although I’m sure the coaches would have preferred us to spread that out over a longer period.
“The three of us are of a similar age and it’s been enjoyable and inspiring to train with these guys.
“Trying to be the guy to be in possession of the gloves has been a hard slog and we have pushed each other.
“I have taken inspiration from Allan and David to keep going and get back to this level.
“I’ve got mixed emotions about being the last man standing for Scotland.
“But even though I’m sad to see Marsh go, I’m happy to keepp on doing it.
“Tuesday night will be my 59th game of the season but I want to continue playing and stay in this rhythm I’m in.”
Gordon’s brilliant Scotland form is being aided by a former England keeper – ex-Rangers man Chris Woods.
He now works with Clarke’s goalkeepers after the departure of Woods’ namesake Stevie.
And having watched him excel at Ibrox three decades ago, Gordon is now benefiting from Woods’ calmness as a ccoach. He ssaid: “Chris h a s b e en rereally good. “He i s so thorthorough and works us hard. “He’s got g reat experience anda he’s so calm. He talks about all the situations we might find ourselves in during a game and has been a really good addition to the Scotland staff.
“Even though I was very young, I remember him as a player in the early 1990s at Rangers before Andy Goram came in.
“I have spoken to him about that and he tells me about things that happened in his career.”