Gordon has a big-stage ambition he must fulfil
CRAIG GORDON insists an appearance in the group stage of the Champions League is one of his last major career ambitions. The 32-year-old Celtic keeper has had two cracks at reaching UEFA’s elite competition, with Hearts in 2006 and in last year’s ill- fated Parkhead campaign.
As the SPFL champions seek to protect a 2-0 first-leg lead in their second- qualifying- round clash against Stjarnan tonight, however, Gordon hopes he can tick another achievement off the bucket list at the third time of asking.
‘ The Champions League is a massive goal f or me,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘It’s something I want to experience and it will take a massive effort over the next few weeks to get there.
‘It’s a difficult competition. It’s hard to even reach the group stage nowadays as there are so many games.
‘I don’t assume it will happen. You can never assume anything in this game.
‘To get to the group stage, you have to go through a lot of games against quality teams.
‘We are certainly more prepared this time around. We know what the manager expects of us and, in that respect, we have no excuses.’
As a Scotland player, Gordon admits to pangs of jealousy when he used to witness international t eam- mates t aking t o world football’s biggest stage.
‘Did I envy the other clubs being in t he Champions League? Absolutely,’ he said. ‘ You want to play on that stage and test yourself at that level. I don’t think there’s a better competition in club football.
‘ It’s something I desperately want to try to do before the end of my career.
‘I still have a while to do it but I’d like it to happen as soon as possible and I have a good chance this season.’
His first opportunity to qualify came during Vladimir Romanov’s tempestuous Hearts tenure.
Splitting Celtic and Rangers to finish second in the top division, the Tynecastle club failed to deliver before the long, slow descent into financial ruin.
‘I played in the qualifier against AEK Athens but we never made it,’ he recalled. ‘Julien Brellier and Neil McCann both got sent off in Athens. It wasn’t a good night.
‘We’d lost the home game 2-1, so to score two goals over there was always going to be a big ask.
‘It was never going to happen with nine men. I didn’t think my chance was over after losing that game. We had a good team, we’d won the Scottish Cup and it looked like things were going well — instead of the way it panned out.
‘I probably thought then that there would be more chances but the longer your career goes, the more you think it might pass you by.’
His two-year long injury nightmare consigned to the past after winning Scotland’s Player-of-the-Year crown last season, Gordon accepts there is some distance to go before he can reach his goal.
A trip to Azerbaijan or Montenegro awaits the winner of tonight’s tie. Despite losing the first leg 2-0 and being second favourites, Stjarnan remain defiant on their chances.
But Gordon insisted: ‘I don’t think I’d a dive to make in the first game. I had a clean strip coming off the pitch.
‘ In saying that, there were a couple of close things and they could have sneaked an away goal.
‘We still have to be very wary and make sure we do a good job out there. At some point, Stjarnan are going to have to come out and go for a goal.
‘I would expect that we might have to do more work defensively.
‘Away from home against anyone, that will be the case.
‘We are expecting a hard game and we will try to win on merit.
‘We will take it as it comes and if we play to our abilities, hopefully we will get the job done.
‘It’s a strange one with a 2-0 lead. We don’t have to chase it, but they do. If we get an away goal, it will be very difficult.
‘We are dangerous on the counter attack and, hopefully, we can get that goal.’