Zander Clark arrived at Heart of Midlothian at the peak of his powers and in an ideal position to push Craig Gordon and challenge the club legend for the No.1 spot.

He had played a key role in helping St Johnstone to the cup double and then perhaps an even bigger role in helping the Perth Saints retain their Premiership status the following season. But, as he has shown during his time in Gorgie, there was more to come.

"You can see the level Zander’s hit," Hearts goalkeeper coach Paul Gallacher said last month. "From where he was to where he is now is night and day. He was a good goalkeeper when he first came to the club but he has kicked on under severe pressure."

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It is an assessment the 31-year-old agrees with, albeit he was keen to mention the fact that at this point of the 2018/19 campaign, he was on 16 of the 19 clean sheets he would get that season in Perth. He is currently on 15 and counting.

“As a player, you always want to get better no matter what stage of your career you’re at and I feel I’ve done that progressively since I came in and feel I’ve been getting better with each game," he said.

“It’s been enjoyable and it’s something I want to keep striving to do, get better with each day that passes going into each session and each game. It’s pleasing to hear your coaches speaking highly of you. I must be doing something right.”

He added: "Look I’m probably playing at the top of what I have been for the last couple of years. But I still feel within myself there’s room for improvement. No matter what, I want to get better. At the minute I’m in a good place physically and mentally and it’s about keeping that going.”

Clark doesn't specify one area that has improved, believing he has become a more rounded goalkeeper. In terms of data, he is one of the best-performing keepers in the league in terms of goals prevented. In fact, only three others have prevented more goals than his 4.7 according to Opta Analyst. 

Fans will of course have their opinion on the goalkeeper situation but when it comes to individual performances you will struggle to find anyone at Tynecastle Park more critical of Clark than the man himself, well aware there is more pressure at Hearts than there was at St Johnstone.

"Just playing with confidence brings an extra 5-10 per cent out of you that probably aren’t aware of," he said of his progress. 

"I’m my own biggest critic. Folk might say I do well but internally I know that I’ve been crap, I don’t need other people to tell me that. Usually, if someone’s telling me I’ve been rubbish then I’m thinking it’s the end of the world within myself because I’m that harsh on myself.

"It’s just, I think, playing with confidence. The club are in a good place, the team are playing well, results are going well for us so it’s, that brings out another side where you’re playing with that confidence. I just feel that as a goalkeeper that’s how it sort of works."

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He added: "The fans expect a lot at a club like this and the players demand it off each other. We know what to expect off each other. So it’s always that case of trying to win every game. You go into each game and sometimes a draw isn’t good enough internally and externally. 

“It’s something you need to learn to live with because it drives that winning mentality within the squad. It’s something this season we have handled pretty well.”

Clark is hoping to have his hands full come the close season, namely a trip to Germany as part of Steve Clarke's Euro 2024 squad. When he returns for club duty he will have entered the final 12 months of his deal at Hearts. 

With Steven Naismith confirming there will be players the club will be keen to tie down, would he be open to extending his stay?

"I’m loving my football here at the minute," he said. "Personally, I’m in a good space, the club’s in a good place. It’s one of those, we’ll see what happens. 

"I've hopefully got a busy summer coming up, if I can keep doing what I’ve been doing then we’ll see what happens. It could be a pretty hectic one but if there’s time for a sit down then it’s certainly something I’d be open to."