Impressive Hearts toast to iconic goalkeeper as on-song Tynecastle duo strike to sink Sunderland
Hearts secure 3-0 win over EPL outfit Sunderland as Gorgie raises a glass for Craig Gordon
Craig Gordon could be forgiven for wondering if days like this would ever arrive. Released by Sunderland exactly 4,823 days ago, merely five years after becoming the country’s most expensive goalkeeper, a debilitating knee injury left him without a club for over two years. As the man himself admits, he felt like the ice underneath his promising career was already beginning to crack.
Fast forward 13 years, and both Gordon the player and the man has enjoyed a defining week. Married five days ago, the first stop on the veteran’s honeymoon came at a toasty Tynecastle on Saturday afternoon, where the 42-year-old led out his beloved Hearts for his testimonial game against former club Sunderland, with both sets of fans paying tribute to his 23-year career that has still has - at least - another year to run.
It was the increasingly familiar name of Claudio Braga, alongside Lawrence Shankland and Alexandros Kyziridis, who scored the goals that sealed a comfortable 3-0 win for Hearts, though the biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for a man that will surely go down as one of Hearts’ - and Scotland’s - greatest ever goalkeepers.
Sadly not fit enough to play the game, he was replaced by Zander Clark just 30 seconds or so into the clash to rapturous applause and chants of ‘there’s only one Craig Gordon’ from all four corners of the ground.
His career one of resilience, loyalty and excellence, he was inducted into the club’s hall of fame at the age of just 24 during his first spell at the club, and became the anchor in their Scottish Championship title win upon his return in the 2020/21. Viewed by many as the best stopper the Jambos have ever produced, he remains a respected figure on Wearside too, following his then-record £9million move to the Stadium of Light in 2007, despite making just 88 appearances during an injury-plagued five-year stay.
Why? Much like their hosts, Sunderland fans are a good judge of what constitutes being a top goalkeeper. For Hearts’ Jim Cruickshank there is Sunderland’s Jimmy Montgomery, for Antti Niemi there’s Thomas Sorensen, for Henry Smith there’s Chris Turner. Evidenced by the applause both pre and post game, Gordon sits far up the list of best ever’s for both. The truth is, he’s been a success everywhere he’s been. The 13 medals he picked up at Celtic, and 81 Scotland caps prove it.
So when Gordon hailed the appointment of head coach Derek McInnes as “exactly” what Hearts needed, fans listened. Claiming the ex-Kilmarnock boss could bring back the aggression and physicality the support wanted to see, the early days of his reign have shown they may be more than just hard to beat in the opening weeks of the McInnes era.
It’s been a strange last 12 months on the maroon side of the capital. An unexpectedly bad start under Steven Naismith last season forced them into a holding pattern when Neil Critchley walked through the door. The English head coach never truly felt like the right fit at Tynecastle, and a team who had aimed to push for another top three finish, ended the campaign in an underwhelming seventh place and, at times, flirted with a relegation battle.
Things feel a little brighter already under McInnes. The cloud of uncertainty surrounding captain Shankland has gone after he agreed a new contract with the club, the addition of Portuguese striker Braga has added movement and intelligence to the team’s attack. Performances have been strong in the opening throes of his tenure. Dismantling lower league opposition in the Premier Sports Cup is one thing. Overpowering newly promoted English Premier League side Sunderland is quite another - but outpower them they did.
The visitors arrived in the capital with over £75million worth of talent in their midfield alone. A far cry from the struggling EFL League One side that won 2-0 on their last pre-season visit to Tynecastle in 2021, the Black Cats offered Hearts their toughest test yet ahead of their league opener August 4, but the hosts were comfortably the better side for large portions of the game.
McInnes’ promise that Sunderland were “in for a battle” in the days leading up the game was fulfilled. The intense high-press from the opening weeks of their domestic campaign in full flow, Sunderland were fortunate to leave Edinburgh having conceded just three times. While Hearts fans couldn’t wait for last season’s damp squib of a campaign to end, they’ll have left Tynecastle with a bit of a swagger and are now eagerly anticipating the opening day visit of Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on August 4.
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