A glimmer of hope for Hearts keeper Craig Gordon ahead of Scottish Cup, European football and Euro 2024

The 41-year-old still harbours plenty ambition for the months ahead

With the first Scotland squad of 2024 due to be announced next week, Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon is in pensive mood. The European Championship is looming on the horizon and national coach Steve Clarke's selections will indicate who is in contention for Germany this summer. This month's friendlies against Netherlands and Northern Ireland are anything but meaningless.

Despite only two appearances at club level since recovering from a year out with a broken leg, 41-year-old Gordon harbours a burning desire to return to international level. Serious game time is against him given those two outings were Scottish Cup ties against Spartans and Airdrie. He is poised for a third run-out when Hearts visit Morton in Monday's quarter-final.

Whether three games against lower-league opponents is sufficient to convince Clarke that Gordon merits a recall remains to be seen. Gordon's last Scotland cap was in November 2022 in a friendly against Turkey at a time when he was the national team's undisputed No.1. Angus Gunn took up that mantle in 2023 in Gordon's absence. There is no doubt in the Hearts keeper's mind that he is ready to battle for the international gloves again despite currently being second-choice to Zander Clark at Tynecastle Park.

"I feel like I could, yeah," said Gordon. "I feel physically I am ready and I am at that level, but that’s for the manager to decide. I know I have not played an awful lot of games. You never know. I still feel as if I can and could play at that level - and still want to. I’ll play as much as I am given the opportunity to and every time I do I’ll try and show what I am capable of to hopefully still give myself that opportunity."

A glimmer of hope stems from Clarke's previous squad announcement. The Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie was included in November despite being without a competitive appearance this season at that point. With Gunn and Gordon both injured, the Hearts keeper Clark stepped into the Scotland side ahead of Motherwell's Liam Kelly.

Clarke is clearly not averse to calling up goalies who are not overly active at club level. "Yeah, I hope so. I don’t know what the manager is thinking," said Gordon. "There’s always that little bit of hope because it has happened in the past. Hopefully I am the beneficiary of that this time. I’ll wait and see like everyone else. If I can play well in the games coming up I am given the opportunity to play in then hopefully I’ll give myself that chance.

"To an extent it is out of my control. What I can control is my fitness levels, my readiness to play and my performance if I do get the chance. That’s what I have been focused on the whole time. That’s what getting back from the injury was all about. I feel as if I have been at that level for a couple of months, at least.

"It’s almost in other people’s hands now. I have definitely done as much as I could. I can look at myself in the mirror and be very happy with how I have gone about getting back and the levels I feel I am at. Now it’s kind of wait and see and hope for the best."

READ MORE: Hearts lose another key player to injury but two more return

Hearts are certain to have European fixtures later this year and Gordon will break the club's European appearance record if he plays one more match. He has not felt compelled to approach head coach Steven Naismith to question his intermittent game time. "I haven’t spoken to him, I haven’t chapped his door. That’s his job," smiled the keeper. "My job is to be ready to play whenever I am picked and that’s what I have done. I feel I am in a really good place physically, so that’s all I can do. I can only focus on what I can do. I am ready, it’s up to the manager then to pick the team."

He will be grateful for the minutes on Monday, provided Naismith sticks to form by selecting Gordon in cup ties and Clark for league duties. Cappielow remains a throwback to a bygone era with its concrete terracings and wooden main stand. It is also an awkward venue for Premiership teams, as Motherwell discovered in the previous round of the cup.

"I’ve played there a couple of times, once when I was on loan at Cowdenbeath," recalled Gordon. "Clydebank were also groundsharing back then. I’m showing my age again. During the Covid season I played there [with Hearts]. That was the first game after my son was born and I remember turning up to meet the team on the day of the game. We won another game with Jamie Walker scoring. It’s a difficult place to play.

"I think it will be a brilliant atmosphere. I’m already hearing that Hearts are taking a tremendous support down there - nearly sold out. It will be a fun, old-school game to be part of with that stadium - the changing rooms are tiny and to see it with that many people in will be good.

"We’ve played Airdrie and there is not much difference between them and Morton in the league. We knew they could cause us problems and they did even though the scoreline [4-1] was quite emphatic in the end. Morton have been on a great run, two defeats heading into this, very narrow defeats. I don’t think those two defeats will have any bearing on our game. They will be right up for it and it’s a huge opportunity for them as well, having a bigger club coming to their patch."

Twelve years have passed since Hearts last lifted the Scottish Cup. "Yeah too long, let's see if we can put an end to that, that would be great," said Gordon. "There are three games to go and we’re concentrating fully on this one. You go into every season and it’s always a huge aim to get to Hampden, that semi-final stage and take it from there.

"We’re working hard to make that happen. Every player is looking towards getting to Hampden to win a cup. These are things that players are remembered for and I’d love to be able to be involved in a Hearts cup-winning team but there is still a long way to go."