Zander Clark grateful hearing fans sing his name as he reveals Hearts and Scotland ambitions

Through the misty evening drizzle at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday, Zander Clark’s name bellowed from the 3,500-strong Hearts support. It might be slightly unusual hearing a goalkeeper acclaimed so warmly on his full debut, but as deputies go he is already a major asset.

Replacing Craig Gordon like-for-like is simply impossible. The Scotland No.1’s double leg break leaves a void no-one can fill completely. Clark proved in recent seasons with St Johnstone that he is too talented a keeper to sit around as second-choice, but for more than three months that’s exactly what he did at Hearts. Now is his opportunity following the misfortune of Gordon’s injury, and fans already seem to appreciate his presence.

He only left Perth in May so a full Hearts debut at his former place of employment would have felt strange. A 3-2 win, the Edinburgh club’s first league success at McDiarmid in 12 years, eased any initial nerves. Chants from the away section also helped. Filling Gordon’s gloves is a daunting prospect but Clark is an experienced last line of defence at 30 years old. He has featured in Scotland squads and won both national cups during his time in Perth.

“It's weird how football throws these scenarios up,” he commented. “Every day going into training you are training in case that opportunity arises to get in and get a shot. Getting the 15 or 20 minutes after Craig's injury the other day but to get a full start, it probably was written in the stars that it would be at St Johnstone. It's a place that I've got great memories of and it was nice to get back out and get a great reception from the St Johnstone fans and Hearts fans.

“It's good to get back out there. I had a few games during the World Cup break but to get back into competitive action was pleasing. The circumstances surrounding it are torrid but it's a chance for me to get back out on the pitch. I think that was my first 90 minutes since Inverness in the relegation game here. That's been five, six months without a competitive game. It was good to get back out there and good to get the three points.”

Chances of an international breakthrough are greater now he can expect an extended run of games with Gordon out until next season. Much like at Hearts, Clark has no desire simply to be a squad man with Scotland. “Obviously it will be in the back of my mind,” he admitted. “If I can go in at club level and do the best I can and it opens up that opportunity for me, then that's great. It's one of those where I am always focused on the next game and making sure I can go in and do well. If that is enough to get me back into squads then that's great for me. It will be at the back of my mind, that incentive, but mainly for me it is going in and making sure I do well for the club.”

Working with Gordon daily at Riccarton and at international level has already enhanced Clark’s game. “It's great. Spending nine, ten days away in Scotland camps with him you can learn so much from him. To be working with him on a daily basis is great and there is Cheesy [Ross Stewart] and Gall [Paul Gallacher, goalkeeping coach] as well who are two great guys. We all push each other. Goalies, everyone says it, we're a strange bunch. We are a tight-knit group because we do spend so much time with each other. It's now time to step up with the chance given to me.”

He will need to seize the moment, for Gordon has no intention of staying in the background long-term. “That's what the big man is like. He has faced serious injuries before in his career and I'm sure he will have a road map planned out on his recovery. Obviously everyone at the club is fully behind him and offering his support to him. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he is back soon. Our aim is to finish as high up the league as possible. If we can keep churning out wins that will go a long way to achieving that goal. We take it one game at a time and the big man is one away [from breaking Hearts’ European appearance record]. That's an added incentive.”

Zander Clark enjoyed a win on his full Hearts debut against former club St Johnstone.

For now, the Edinburgh derby is a more pressing concern. Clark enjoyed memorable victories against Hibs en route to both cup wins with St Johnstone, however a meeting of the Capital clubs at Tynecastle Park will be a different proposition. “The games come thick and fast at this time of year, more so with the World Cup,” he said. “It's just about getting into training, recovering well, eating well and making sure we are ready to go for the derby on Monday. I've had some enjoyable times against them. It's a different club, it's a derby. They'll be right up for it, we'll be right up for it at home. We just need to make sure we get back into training, make sure we recover well and make sure we are ready to go.

“If you speak to anyone who has played in Scotland they will say their favourite away ground is Tynecastle. It's close, you can hear every shout. When you are there as an opposing player it is intimidating because of that. Now being a Hearts player it is the flip side where they are right behind you. Hopefully they are in full voice, it was great backing from them in Perth, and they can push us on.”