I’VE LEFT YOU IN SAFE HANDS
No.1 Craig says back-up Stewart will keep Jambos on road to glory
CRAIG GORDON is sure he’s leaving the gloves in safe hands at Hearts as he heads off on international duty with Scotland.
The Jambos are just nine points away from securing the title and are aiming for a third consecutive Scottish Cup Final.
Gordon will miss games in both competitions as he looks to add to his 55 caps in Scotland’s World Cup qualifying tripleheader with Austria, Israel and Faroe Islands.
Ross Stewart will deputise for Gordon in tonight’s Cup tie at Brora Rangers and again on Saturday as Hearts face Queen of the South at Tynecastle in the Championship.
Stewart has played twice since arriving on loan from Livingston. But Gordon has tipped the 26-year-old to make a real impact in the next two games for the Jambos.
He said: “Ross has been great in training. He’s always so positive and trains so hard.
“That rubs off on me and there are no easy days when you have someone like him working hard with you.
“We push each other on to keep the standards high and have a great relationship. We’re always competing to be on the winning team in training.
“He’s a brilliant player to have in your squad and I’m delighted he will get a few games while I’m away with Scotland.
“There has always been a lot of competition for the keeper’s jersey at Scotland and it’s the same at Hearts. Only one can play but every other keeper has to train the very best they can to help the squad.
“Ross has pushed me hard. He has been excellent and really deserves his chance.”
Hearts have had back-toback Hampden appearances against Celtic and manager Robbie Neilson has urged his players to take the next step.
The title is now in touching distance as the Jambos enter their final six games and Gordon insists the next few weeks are crucial.
He added: “We still have a lot to play for this season. We need to keep improving and go into next season ourselves again.
“We have six games left and it’s time for the guys to really show what they can do to prove they deserve to be in the manager’s plans for next season.
“We want to progress as far as we can and it’ll take a squad. The games are going to come thick and fast in the Scottish Cup if we can progress.
“But we know there’s a tricky one to start with up at Brora and the guys who go there are capable of getting the win to get us through.”
Brora chairman William Powrie hopes hosting Hearts can bring in some much-needed revenue for the Highland League club. He said: “We’ve put a lot of work into our TV offering, so we hope to be able to attract fans both local and further afield.” and prove