Clark hopeful Hearts keepers will be on plane to Germany
Stopper feels he and Gordon have done enough to merit places at Euros
ZANDER CLARK is hopeful he and Craig Gordon have booked their spot for the European Championships this summer after cementing Heart of Midlothian as the third force in Scotland. Clark and veteran keeper Gordon are both in contention to make the plane for Scotland at the Euros in Germany in June.
However, there is competition in the goalkeeping ranks with Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly and Robby McCrorie all having been called up in recent camps.
Clark, 31, made his international debut for Scotland against France in October last year after a lengthy wait for recognition but is hopeful his successful campaign with Hearts will see him included in the 26-man squad headed to Germany.
“I’ve played the majority of the season,” said Clark when quizzed on having staked his claim for an international spot. “When Craig has been in he has done well.
“It’s out of our hands now, it’s the manager’s decision. I feel that, over the course of the season, I’ve probably done enough but I don’t want to count the chickens before they are hatched.
“We’ll wait and see. It was good to get back on the grass today and turn in a decent enough performance.”
It has not been all plain sailing for Clark in recent years. First, a wait for a club before joining Hearts after his St Johnstone exit, and a lengthy period out of the international picture before his first call-up in August 2021.
“We had a wee rocky patch at the start of the season but we were getting
used to new ways that the manager wanted to play,” said Clark of Hearts nailing down the spot as the third top team in Scotland.
“We had new players coming in from different parts of the world and taking time to settle. Over the course of the season, I think it’s pretty evident that we have been getting stronger and stronger.
“We’ve finished the season well and that’s what we set out to achieve at the start. We knew within the squad that we had the players and the manager and the coaching staff who wanted to drive us towards that. Everybody has been singing from the same sheet.”
Clark was long tipped for a Scotland cap during his time at St Johnstone but had to wait until his move to Hearts for a first appearance – remarkably his first at any level for Scotland.
He said: “I’ve probably done it the hard way. Usually, you find that a lot of people who come through have been in the set-up from a young age.
“To get into the senior squad with your first-ever call-up was a proud moment. Every time you get that email to say you have been selected, it’s a very proud moment.”
Circumstances surrounding Clark’s promotion to first choice at Hearts were less than ideal with a horror injury to Gordon thrusting the Clydebank-born keeper into a starting berth.
Clark, though, thrived in the pressure and admits his most recent campaign may have been his best – no doubt aided by the pressure of Gordon returning to the fold from injury.
“I don’t know. I had a couple of good seasons at St Johnstone, obviously. Probably,” he said having been asked whether this was his best season. “I felt I’ve been quite consistent this season.
“You’ve got to just back yourself. Over those summer months when I had no club, I always backed myself to find something. I knew I was a good goalkeeper.
“When that sort of pressure comes, it’s what you want. You want that competition and it has probably brought out the best in me. I’m really enjoying it.”