Gordon shone at Stadium of Light like no other keeper I’d played with, insists Stokes
ANTHONY STOKES remembers encountering his former Sunderland team-mate Craig Gordon for the first time and thinking he had never seen a better goalkeeper.
Now that the pair have been reunited, the Irish striker is looking forward to seeing the former Scotland No 1 challenging England international Fraser Forster for the Celtic position.
Now 31, Gordon hasn’t played for two years because of a knee injury, but convinced goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods that he is back to full fitness during a brief training stint at Lennoxtown at the tail end of last season and has been awarded a two-year deal.
The suspicion, if not likelihood, remains that the deal for Gordon has been completed as a contingency in the event Forster is sold, with both Southampton and Atletico Madrid prepared to enter the bidding.
For now, the two will compete for a place in new manager Ronny Deila’s team, and Stokes is encouraged to see the arrival of the ex-Hearts player, who cost Sunderland £9million during his own rollercoaster stint at the Stadium of Light.
‘Craig has gone through a difficult period with injury but, if he can get back anywhere near his best, he will be a great addition,’ said Stokes. ‘I remember him from Sunderland as a steady, top-class keeper — he always made world-class saves. That’s my main memory.
‘He’d make saves that no other keeper I’d played against had ever done. He was in the Premier League and was exceptional. How good was he back then? Brilliant.
‘Hopefully he can get fit and make an impact on the squa
Deila now finds himself with two top-class keepers on his hands and the Norwegian will meet Forster for the first time this evening as the 26-year-old meets up with the squad after a brief holiday on the back of England’s World Cup exit.
Forster won’t play in this evening's game against Rapid Vienna but the club has earmarked him for game time against LASK Linz, with a view to the opening Champions
League qualifier against KR Reykjavik a week later.
‘Fraser is one of the best keepers around — definitely one of the best I’ve played with. Craig will have to be very good to get Fraser out of the team but they can help each other by pushing hard.
‘It’s good for the club. I had a quick chat with Craig on Friday and he’s been training away. Hopefully he has no issues with injury.’
If Gordon simply hopes to get back playing again, Stokes is setting targets to improve his goal return next term. A reliable domestic scorer since Neil Lennon picked him up from Hibernian four years ago, Stokes is looking for greater consistency this term and also to make an impression on European football after a blank maiden Champions League campaign.
‘This season, I need to be aiming for 25-plus goals. I’ve always said 20 is to be expected every season from a striker at Celtic and, barring the season I was injured, I’ve always been round about that mark.
‘This year, I need to push on. Last season I was playing well at times and not scoring but, at the end of the day, I want to bring as much as I can to the team.
‘Goals are what drives me in games. Scoring is what I enjoy doing most.’
He got off on the right foot with Deila by netting just 70 seconds into Thursday’s first pre-season friendly against FK Krasnodar. By then, he’d already enjoyed one face-to-face meeting with his new manager, who has expressed a desire to get to know his players.
‘We sat down for 15 minutes and he just said he’d seen plenty of the games from last season and was happy with my goals return.
‘But listen, I need to improve. I scored 21 goals in the league last season but not at all in Europe. That’s something I want to change.
‘It was good to sit down with the manager. With him just in the door, it was good to break down the barriers, especially when we have big Champions League games around the corner.
‘I didn’t have any questions for him though. I’ve learned just to listen to what managers say!’