GORDON LEAVES UNITED BANGING THEIR HEAD OFF A BRICK WALL...
IT’S already becoming one of the enduring images of the season. The goal-bound effort, the momentary hush of the crowd, an outrageous reflex save followed by a player burying his face in his hands in disbelief.
For James Forrest and Carl Starfelt on the opening night at Tynecastle read Ryan Edwards and Charlie Mulgrew at Tannadice.
Now aged 38, Craig Gordon continues to defy all-comers as well as the passing of time. You could already directly attribute up to four of the 10 points that Hearts have accrued to date to their veteran goalkeeper. Come May, his personal contribution could be off the scale.
With 20 minutes of this encounter remaining, Robbie Neilson’s side were leading through the penalty rebound Liam Boyce tapped home in first-half stoppage time but were struggling to put the game to bed.
Thomas Courts played his hand with a flurry of substitutions and you sensed that Dundee United were bound to enjoy the sustained period of pressure that had eluded them up until that point.
They fashioned four opportunities in a short burst, a sufficiency number to snatch a draw or even a victory on another day against another opponent. Yet again, though, Gordon showed himself to be no ordinary goalkeeper.
If he would have been expected to repel the efforts of Ian Harkes and Calum Butcher, the saves which kept out Edwards’ point-blank header and Mulgrew’s heat-seeking free-kick were above and beyond the call of duty.
With United banging their heads against a brick wall, their hopes of salvation were killed off in injury time when Armand Gnanduillet turned home fellow sub Josh Ginnelly’s cut back on the counter-attack.
Courts’ men were not the first this season to curse Gordon’s heroics and they will not be the last. When a goalkeeper is making the extraordinary seem a matter of routine, anything feels possible.
‘People don’t actually appreciate how good he is,’ said defender John Souttar.
‘You think he’s good until you are with him every day. He’s the best goalkeeper in Scotland for me and I am sure he will be number one with the Scotland squad.
‘He brings a calmness we maybe didn’t have last year. I’ve run out of words to say.
‘If there’s someone behind you who is that good, you are assured and not worrying about a shot or anything like that. He is an unbelievable goalkeeper and we are lucky to have him.’
While Gordon’s contribution is just what we’ve come to expect of him for getting on for 19 years now, Hearts’ blistering start to the Premiership has surely exceeded the expectations of even their most optimistic supporter.
An unconvincing if ultimately successful season in the Championship left question marks over their ability to mix it at the top end of the table. Yet here they are, joint top and unbeaten after four games, now eyeing the visit of fellow high-fliers Hibernian to Tynecastle with no little optimism.
After years of unfathomable transfer dealings, it appears that the squad has been smartly pruned and replenished.
Beni Baningime was again excellent in midfield with both Ben Woodburn, the on-loan Liverpool forward, and Gnanduillet, the towering French forward, impressing. Neilson’s side has both style and substance.
‘We were good and you could see how we were trying to play,’ said Souttar. ‘We were trying to keep the ball, move it and pass it.
‘They came into it a bit more in the second half but we got them on the break and scored a good goal.
‘There’s momentum building. It’s not just anyone, it’s quality that we are bringing in.
‘You saw big Armand coming on and scoring, Beni in the middle of the park who’s an unbelievable player. All the boys we’ve brought in have been top. We just need to keep it going.’
Souttar would have been a man of the match contender had it not been for Gordon’s feats, the defender putting his body on the line one minute and sparking attacks the next.
With each passing week, the player who suffered a snapped Achilles tendon in either leg is redefining himself.
He will be a spectator as Scotland head to Denmark this week but the chance to win his fourth international cap has to be in the pipeline if he can maintain this form.
‘I’m not taking anything for granted, I’m just enjoying my football,’ said the 24-year-old.
‘The way I look at football has changed. Every day I spend time on the pitch I’m grateful. That comes when you lose something.
‘Everyone wants to play for their country. For me, it’s early in the season but I’ve played 12 to 15 games in a row now. I’ve just got to take this week off and that’s probably good for me at this stage in the season as I’ve played a lot of games.
‘I’ll enjoy a wee rest week and watch the boys on TV. The Scotland squad is strong — you saw that in the Euros that there are a lot of good players in there.
‘I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully I’ll be involved at some point.’
United could console themselves with the knowledge that they will not come up against a keeper of Gordon’s quality every week.
With six points taken from the opening four games, Courts’ side can still be reasonably satisfied with the start they have made.
They need to start more games like they finished this one, though.
‘I thought we deserved something in the end,’ said midfielder Calum Butcher, who has just agreed a new contract until 2023.
‘A draw would have been a fair result but then they hit us with a sucker punch at the end when we were pushing.
‘Craig Gordon pulled off some really good saves. He’s a top-class keeper but we have to be more clinical when we get in front of goal.’