The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Clark to shut out talks over new deal
Keeper will focus on Premiership battle
Zander Clark is shutting out contract talks designed to extend his stay with St Johnstone. The Perth keeper insists he is fully focused on club and country.
Clark, who has been with Saints since 2011, is the first McDiarmid Park stopper since Alan Main to make the Scotland squad.
And the 29-year-old is determined to maintain his place alongside Hearts’ Craig Gordon and Rangers’ Jon McLaughlin in Steve Clarke’s international set-up.
He is equally set on helping 11th-placed Saints climb away from the Premiership basement.
Clark — linked with Rangers recently — is out of contract at the end of the season, with boss Callum Davidson still hopeful drawn-out talks on a new deal will bear fruit. But the custodian, who is determined to kickstart a busy December schedule by claiming three points against a resurgent Aberdeen, says maintaining high level performances is his top priority.
“That (contract talks) is all going on in the background. I let other people deal with it and I just focus on what I need to do,” he said.
“I just try to put in good performances and help get points on board for the team.
“That is enough for me. It’s not at the forefront of my mind. I will find out when anything happens.
“I am still a St Johnstone player and my full focus is on doing the best I can for this club. That has always been my aim.”
Clark was on the bench for Scotland wins over Moldova and Denmark which teed-up a World Cup play-off with Ukraine in March.
“It was a brilliant experience and good to be back involved,” he said.
“The result in Moldova was excellent and we knew Denmark would be tough.
“They were flying in the group. Just to be involved in that game at a full Hampden was class.
“It puts us in a good position with the play-offs to look forward to.
“Just being involved in the squads is excellent for me but my target has definitely got to be getting that first cap now. I need to make sure I am a constant pick in the squad.
“The standard of goalkeeping for the country is high. It is going to be difficult with Craig Gordon churning out the performances.
“I know I have to keep performing well to stay in the manager’s thoughts.”
Zander Clark has been around McDiarmid Park long enough to know that St Johnstone’s success has been built on solid foundations.
And while currently occupying 11th place in the Premiership table doesn’t sit easily with last term’s double cup winner, the St Johnstone No 1 is confident a hectic December schedule will see Callum Davidson’s men chart a route away from the basement.
Finding the net has been a challenge for Saints this term but on the plus side they have yielded just 15 goals on league duty.
And with just one win in eight home games, Clark is eyeing up three points from today’s clash with Aberdeen to give Saints fans something to cheer about.
It’s the start of a demanding seven-game run before the January break, when manager Davidson plans to bolster his injury plagued squad with backing from chairman Steve Brown.
“The home record has been disappointing,” admitted Clark.
“You want to try and make your home ground a fortress and put in performances the fans are wanting to see.
“In terms of that, the home form hasn’t been good enough but we have a chance here to put on a show and try to pick up three points.
“When you look at the league, it doesn’t make for good reading in terms of where we are at right now.
“The last performance against Dundee was disappointing and we know that as players. It is up to us to put it right.
“You have seen with other teams in the league that if you put together a couple of wins you can propel yourself further up the table.
“We are only seven points from the top six so it is tight. It is a busy schedule but with the games coming thick and fast it’s an opportunity for us to get a run going.
“We know this will be a
difficult game against Aberdeen. But we have to be ready to go and make sure we are singing off the same hymn-sheet to pick up maximum points.”
Clark has earned kudos for his performances in Europe and on the home front.
Dundee United boss Tam Courts labelled his display “superhuman” in a 1-0 Saints win at Tannadice.
The keeper’s consistency prompted Scotland manager Steve Clarke to recall him to the international set-up for recent World Cup qualifiers with Moldova and Denmark.
Now Clark is hoping to
see Saints mirror last season, when they started off slowly before going on to claim a top six finish, in addition to their two memorable up triumphs.
“As a keeper you can be happy with the defensive record but if you’re not winning football matches that doesn’t matter,” said Clark.
“You are just as disappointed as everyone else. We have to concentrate on putting things right and picking up points.
“Teams are beating teams that maybe you wouldn’t expect. Every game is difficult.
“We need to get positive results to start climbing the
table. The defence has been the foundation of any success we have had.
“If we can defend well and minimise the goals against it gives us a chance.
“You can’t lose a game if you keep a clean sheet. That is always in my mind and the minds of the backline.”
Boss Davidson has ruled out injured midfielder Murray Davidson, with David Wotherspoon sidelined long term.
But on-loan Rangers attacker Glenn Middleton returns to the squad after being injured on Scotland U21 duty, and midfielder Craig Bryson is back from suspension.