Craig Gordon is determined to capitalise on the current state of flux in the Scotland goalkeeping department by reclaiming a starting place for Saturday’s Nations League match in Croatia just four months after fearing his international career was over.
The 41-year-old was devastated to be cut from Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad in early June, a week before the tournament began, with Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly and his Hearts colleague Zander Clark getting the nod to go to the showpiece in Germany.
With none of the Euros trio in the current squad – Gunn withdrawing due to injury and Clark and Kelly left out as a result of not playing at club level – Gordon is expected to win his 76th cap by being chosen ahead of uncapped duo Jon McCracken and Robby McCrorie to make his first international start in almost two years.
😃 🧤#CROSCO | #SCOPOR pic.twitter.com/jIRPPP314I
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) October 8, 2024
Asked in an interview with the PA news agency if he viewed Gunn’s absence as a chance to re-establish himself as Scotland’s number one after losing his place to the Norwich stopper following a double-leg-break sustained in December 2022, Gordon – speaking as a McDonald’s Fun Football ambassador – said: “It’s got to be much more short-term than that.
“I just want to see where we go over this week, try and get myself in the team for the first game over in Croatia and see where it goes.
“There’s no long-term thoughts other than just trying to play the next game and if I manage to play that one, then the one after that. It’s really as short-term as that at the moment.”
For much of the 21st century, Gordon, Allan McGregor and David Marshall formed a strong Scotland goalkeeping trio in which they all pushed each other intensely for the number one jersey.
Since the retirement of the latter two, few from the next generation – aside from Gunn – have been able to cement themselves in Steve Clarke’s squad.
“Most other countries have probably gone through that (changing goalkeepers) a lot more,” said Gordon. “We’ve just had a very stable, settled group of goalkeepers over the last 20 years, and perhaps even longer.
“It’s new at this particular time for Scotland to be in that, but I don’t think it’s uncommon at international level for teams around the rest of Europe. It’s our turn to maybe be in the middle of that with injuries and players not playing.
“We don’t have a large pool of goalkeepers. Almost all of us have been in and out of teams at different stages. It doesn’t make it very easy for the manager here at international level.”
Gordon’s return to the national team comes at a time when he has been part of a Hearts team who sit bottom of the William Hill Premiership after failing to win any of their opening eight matches.
Asked how he feels he is performing after reclaiming his starting place at Hearts from Clark in August, Gordon said: “Winning games would help, keeping clean sheets would help, but it’s been a difficult period for everybody.
“I’ve been making saves in games and we’ve still been losing, so it’s not going to get highlighted as much as it would if you contribute to a winning performance.
“It’s a very strange time. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a run quite like this at any stage of my career, so it’s a bit new to me to go on a run as bad as this. It’s not nice.
“I want to get back to winning matches and then I’ll feel a bit better about myself, regardless of personal performances.”
Craig Gordon was promoting the latest free wave of McDonald’s Fun Football sessions this autumn, available to all children aged 5-11 across Scotland. Further details at mcdonalds.co.uk/football.
