Why Craig Gordon is expecting Rangers backlash at Hampden

Gordon’s career has been filled with tremendous highs and morale-sapping lows, but it’s the 41-year-old’s longevity that is truly remarkable. More than once he has suffered what could have been a career-ending injury for a player of lesser determination. More than once he has fought his way back to the top.

This time, though, it’s been different. With Zander Clark enjoying an excellent season, Gordon and his team-mate have been sharing the goalkeeping duties since the turn of the year. The arrangement has been that Clark starts in the league and Gordon starts in the Scottish Cup, but the latter was brought back into the starting XI for last weekend’s 4-2 home win over Livingston.

It means that for the first time since that horrific leg break at Tannadice in December 2022, Gordon will be starting back-to-back games for Hearts. The club legend has so often been the man for the big occasion for the Gorgie club – and they don’t come much bigger than a meeting with Rangers at the national stadium.

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“These are the kind of games that fuelled my motivation for battling back,” Gordon said. “This is what I wanted to come back and do. It’s taken a wee bit longer than what I thought it possibly could’ve done. This is a huge game to look forward to.

“These are the moments that you do miss and I will miss when that day finally comes that I’m not playing any more. This is huge. One to look forward. Especially where I’ve come from in the last year, to be looking forward to this one is a big moment for me.”

Gordon’s return from injury has been stop-start. He would come in for a game, then sit on the bench for weeks at a time before returning to the starting line-up. Conventional wisdom will tell you that goalkeepers need a run of consecutive matches to get up to full speed; Gordon, though, believes that he is back at the top of his game.

“There is a little bit of a challenge in that,” Gordon said. “Getting ready for a game that is maybe three or four weeks in advance and you know that will be your next opportunity unless something happens in the meantime.

“It’s about training and keeping the levels up, making sure I am ready when I get the opportunity. This is the next opportunity to go back out there and show I am still at the same level as before, and that’s the one I am looking forward to.

“[Preparing to play successive games] has been absolutely fine. Generally as a goalkeeper on a matchday, you’re not worked as much as you are in training. So it has been no problem to recover after that and be ready for the next one. I have trained every day the squad has trained and there has been no extra days off or anything like that. I have just been straight back into it.”

Hearts have never beaten Rangers at Hampden but this has been a season of firsts under Naismith: there has been a first league win at Celtic Park since 2007; it is the first time where Hearts have qualified for European football for a third year in a row; and this season’s away wins record is the club’s best in over 30 years.

Last weekend, there was another novelty elsewhere in the Premiership: for the first time in its history, Ross County defeated Rangers. Gordon wasn’t watching the game live but it was soon brought to his attention, and he draws encouragement from the Staggies’ success – even if he suspects that Philippe Clement’s side will be even more fired up for this afternoon’s game as a result.

“It was unexpected for everybody, I think that’s fair to say,” Gordon said. “It shows it can be done, in a one-off game if they’re not at the levels they have shown over the season, especially under the new manager. It shows it’s possible. It’s a blueprint for what you can do and how you can hurt Rangers, but it is still going to be a very difficult game. It’s a semi-final and that brings an added pressure and focus onto that game.

“I’m sure they will be ready for the challenge. But we have players we know can hurt them as well, so it’s a good one for us, one we’re looking forward to. We’ll put our game plan in place and hope we can hurt them more than they hurt us.”

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He continued: “Does it show they’re vulnerable or is there going to be a backlash? Who knows? It could be either. I suspect it could be more along the lines of a backlash, that they will have to come back and play well. If we can put our game plan in place and perhaps shock them a little bit as well then you never know what can happen. I suspect Rangers will come to Hampden with their A game.”

Jack Butland went forward to join the Rangers attack at a late corner kick in Dingwall as Clement’s side searched in vain for an equaliser, and Gordon wouldn’t mind seeing his opposite number come charging forward this afternoon.

“Well, when it’s that tight at the top you’ve got to throw everything at it,” he reasoned. “I’ve seen a few goalkeepers doing that this season. Ben Wilson at Coventry, Allison at Liverpool in recent memory have managed to get very important goals for their team so it can happen. If he [Butland] is coming up for a corner again on Sunday and we’re defending for our lives, then I’d say that’s a good position for us to be in with a minute to go. If I could make it up that far, I’ll see if I can – but hopefully it’s not needed.”

Gordon can, of course, ask one of his team-mates for pointers in that particular area. Zander Clark memorably popped up with a header to seal a dramatic win for St Johnstone at Ibrox on the Perth outfit’s way to a cup double in 2021 – but Gordon won’t let his fellow goalkeeper get carried away.

“Zander’s one? It was an assist,” Gordon replied with a grin and glint in his eye when reminded of the incident. “It didn’t quite go in off him, I’m not giving him that!”