Craig Gordon: No time to reflect before crucial Scotland qualifier with Denmark

Craig Gordon will afford himself no time to reflect on his unlikely Scotland comeback as he prepares for one of the biggest games of his long career.

The Hearts goalkeeper won his 82nd cap in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat by Greece – six weeks before his 43rd birthday and six months after his last match.

The former Celtic player became the oldest European to play in a World Cup qualifier, a record long held by Sir Stanley Matthews.

Gordon made a string of saves before Scotland fell just short in their fightback, but they can still qualify automatically after Group C leaders Denmark were held by Belarus ahead of their visit to Hampden on Tuesday.

Gordon was a near ever-present for Hearts last season but has played understudy to Alexander Schwolow since recovering from a neck problem.

Injury to Angus Gunn saw him catapulted back into Steve Clarke’s team but the drama in Piraeus and quick turnaround means Gordon will not stop to ponder.

“It’s just on to the next one now and just keep that going,” he told the PA news agency. “I’ll have plenty time for reflection when this is all over.

“We just go on to the next one now and recover as best we can, focus on everything that we can to get ready for Tuesday.

“I had a lot to do first half. It was probably the most tiring first half I’ve had in a long time. I probably didn’t need that after six months out.

“It was good to keep us in the game at that point.

“We took a little while to get going, but then second half anything could have happened. There were chances at both ends and their goalkeeper’s made a few fantastic saves as well.”

Gordon was an unused squad player at Euro 2020 and failed to make the plane for Euro 2024. But he regained number one spot in last year’s Nations League and now has a chance to help Scotland reach the World Cup finals for the first time since he made his debut 21 years ago.

“It’s come very late in my career,” he said. “But certainly, for everyone, it’ll be a big game.

“We have to believe we can play like we did in the last 20 minutes and take the game to Denmark. If we can play like that from the beginning of the match, then we can give anybody problems.

“We really attacked much better, much more free-flowing second half.”

Gordon did not know the score in Copenhagen during that frantic finale.

“I only found out after the full-time whistle,” he said. “We were just waiting around to see if we still had a big game on Tuesday.

“There’s not much you can do. Just wait and hope. You could see some of the guys crowding around a phone on the bench and just waiting for the signal. It was actually the fans that got it before we did.”

Such was the drama that the sight of Gordon going up for a late corner filled Scotland fans with hope of a fairytale ending.

Head coach Clarke is not one to get carried away though and ordered his goalkeeper back, despite Gordon having last season set up an equaliser for Lawrence Shankland against Ross County.

“I got one chopped off against Dundee as well when I challenged the goalkeeper,” he said. “I’ve got the ball in the net a couple of times when I’ve been up there, maybe not me directly putting it in, but cause a bit of chaos and see what happens.

“I got told to get back, so that was when I knew there was maybe something going on in the other game.”