HEARTS IN THE RIGHT PLACE...
...but Gordon wants yearly challenge to the big two
HE stops short of breaking into song but, like Frank Sinatra, Craig Gordon has been around long enough to know what it takes to have that ‘Very Good Year’ which provides memories for the ages. Just as Sinatra gazed back on youth by quoting romantic adventures in ascending chronological order, at 38 Gordon has stacked up sufficient sporting memories to trot out a few nostalgic verses of his own.
A debut at 19, a British goalkeeping record £9million transfer to Sunderland, two years out of the game through serious injury and an unlikely medal-laden comeback at Celtic are all in the mix but, today, the events of season 2005-06 resonate loudest.
When he was 22, and recently established as Hearts’ No1 goalkeeper for the first time, Gordon embarked on an enjoyable campaign, one that saw the club split the Old Firm and claim a Champions League qualification spot.
With a Scottish Cup triumph thrown in for good measure it was a stand-out year at Tynecastle but Gordon believes the club must strive to at least challenge for similar every season.
He stops short of predicting a similar outcome this time round but he does side with the views expressed by sporting director Joe Savage on these pages last weekend that Robbie Neilson’s team should aspire to breaking up the Glasgow duopoly over the coming months.
So today’s visit of Rangers feels like the sort of occasion that will define their hopes of sustaining a challenge.
Going into the game they sit five points behind second-placed Celtic and a further four adrift of today’s visitors. Win and they might just throw a whole new complexion on the title race.
‘This is where I feel Hearts should be,’ he says. ‘Trying to get up to Rangers and Celtic and, on a very good year, try to split them and do something very special.
‘At the moment, we are doing well but we would still like to play better. We are happy with the points we have on the board but feel we could have had a few more.
‘We are in a good place but success now is being there consistently. There is no point doing it over half a season. It has to be a full season or even two, three, four seasons in a row to fully establish ourselves back as a major force in Scotland.
‘That is the challenge for everyone here, to continue that, because it is not easy. There will always be a turnaround in players and we have to continue to develop and evolve and remain at that level. ‘We’ve let points slip here and there and we can’t afford to do that. We must ensure when we are playing well we win those games. We must be better in those situations. If not, we are not going to bridge the gap.
‘We have to get on a run of winning games consistently and that then breeds confidence and other teams will start to fear playing us.’
After spending the Covid season in the second tier following a disputed relegation, Hearts announced their return to the top flight with a home win over Celtic on the opening night.
Although the admission of capacity crowds had yet to be mandated, there were enough fans inside Tynecastle to help push the team towards its late winning goal from John Souttar and Gordon knows a full stadium has the potential to spur on the home side today.
It will then be up to the players to deliver a comparable performance.
‘For us to come back into the league and make a bit of a statement, I think everybody sort of sat up and took notice,’ he says.
‘I’m not just talking outwith the club, I’m talking about guys in the squad. It was a case of ‘Okay, we’re back, we’re here, we can do this’. It was nice to prove to ourselves, that we can compete at this level.
‘This is where we belong, at the top end. That had to happen early in the season so we all could get a confidence boost.’
For Gordon, there was also an opportunity to remind Celtic of what they were missing. Six trophy-laden seasons at Parkhead came to an end with his release in 2020, a decision that looks ill-judged when set against the subsequent £5m signing of Vasilis Barkas.
Yet having spent the previous season as back-up to Fraser Forster, the change was probably a good thing for Gordon anyway.
Last term, he reacquainted himself with regular first-team football. This year, he has been back to his best and has even regained the No1 shirt with Scotland.
At Livingston last
Sunday, he had another top save to tip Jason Holt’s drive onto the post. Never shy in expressing confidence in his own ability, he added: ‘I’m still top of the charts for most saves made, so I’ll see if I can stay there for a bit longer,’ he smiles. ‘It has been a good run, making some good saves in team performances that are getting points.
‘I feel I’m playing well right now but I must guard against thinking like that. I’ve had to make a few saves this season but that’s what I’m there for and enjoy doing. The position we’re in makes it special.’
Songwriter Ervin Drake halted Sinatra’s narrative at the age of 35. Like Ol’ Blue Eyes, Gordon has shown the capacity to keep striving when others have long slipped into comfortable retirement.