Craig's a rock for Jambos

CRAIG GORDON is desperate to experience the joy of six this weekend.

The Hearts goalkeeper will stride onto the Pittodrie turf on Sunday looking to maintain a remarkable shut-out record in Aberdeen with a sixth consecutive clean sheet against the Dons within his grasp.

Incredibly, since breaking into the Jambos first-team as a raw 19-year-old, the Scotland star has yet to lose a goal against the Dons, a proud record he's determined to keep intact as the curtain comes down on the Jambos season in the Granite City.

The 22-year-old has gone 450 minutes without seeing his goal breached by Aberdeen and while the current campaign may be drawing to a close, Gordon's in no mood to suddenly become rather more generous to his hosts.

"We have had a good record against Aberdeen in recent seasons and we want to keep that going," he said.

"Personally, I want to concede as few goals as possible and it would be great to keep my good run against them going. It is a good record and I'd be happy to see it continue, as I'm sure Hibs would be!

"Clean sheets is not the be all and end all for a goalkeeper as you can have played well and still lost a few goals. But it is a factor when gauging success as clean sheets is something which goalkeepers strive for in every match. It is not always possible, of course.

"You have to look at the bigger picture when assessing the season and there is no doubt that the number of clean sheets you have is an indication of how well you are doing. But that is also down to the defenders and the rest of the players in front of you who have contributed so there are a lot of things to be taken into account."

Aberdeen go into the clash knowing a victory is essential if they are to stand a chance of wrenching the UEFA Cup place from Hibs' grasp - they also need Rangers to win at Easter Road with a six-goal swing into the bargain to deny Tony Mowbray's side what has appeared their destiny for months.

Any thoughts Dons fans may have, though, of a comfortable triumph against a Hearts side minus the suspended Steven Pressley will be tempered by the fact they have to go back to August 2002 to find the last time they actually celebrated a goal against the Jambos - Laurent D'Jaffo's strike securing a 1-1 draw.

"I don't think there is any real reason behind such sequences. It's just one of these things which can happen in football - the same as our recent terrible record against Motherwell," said Gordon.

"There is not much between the teams and yet one side we seem to do very well against and the other we don't.

"Pittodrie is a tough place to get a result but we seemed to have sneaked a few 1-0 wins in the past. They have always been close games and with Aberdeen having that little bit extra to play for I'm sure it is going to be just as tough on Sunday."

With Christophe Berra struggling to make the clash with an ankle injury, Craig Sives is poised to deputise for his suspended skipper.

The youngster is untried at first-team level but Gordon has every confidence in whoever will be asked to pull on a jersey.

"With Elvis out I would imagine a few of the young boys will come into the squad," he said.

"It is an opportunity for somebody like Craig to stake their clam and show what they are made of.

"The younger ones will be looking to do well and a few guys who are in the Scotland squad will also be looking to push for their places, so we have plenty to play for from that point of view."

Gordon is poised to become the only ever-present Hearts player this season when he lines up between the posts in the Granite City, a prospect he freely admits he dare not even have dreamed of as he plied his trade as understudy to Finnish internationals Antti Niemi and Tepi Moilanen not so long ago.

The Gorgie star hasn't looked back since ousting Moilanen from the first team in October 2003 and is approaching 90 consecutive games for the Jambos.

He said: "I got my chance and have been fairly consistent over a long period of time.

"A couple of years ago I would never have dreamed of being an ever-present in the Hearts first team in a season like we have just had with so many games in Europe, etc.

"When I look back on it is quite an achievement and something to be proud of. You can't stop learning in this game and, if you do make mistakes, it's important to learn from them and come back all the better for it.

"But I suppose I haven't made too many serious ones if I have managed to keep my place in the side."

Gordon knows his former team-mate Scott Severin will be doing his utmost to see the Dons come out on top, the midfielder having been a key contributor to the Dons' dramatic resurgence under Jimmy Calderwood and Jimmy Nichol.

"Seve will be desperate to help Aberdeen win with them still in with a chance of Europe depending on what happens at Easter Road," he said.

"It would be something for him to really savour in his first season at Aberdeen having left Hearts last summer. It would be a feather in his cap but we'll be going up there looking to put a spoke in the wheel and do as well as we can for the club and our own personal pride as much as anything else.

"I've not had a win bonus for a while and it's not been a great run to be on at this stage of the season. There have been a few factors involved in that, of course, but it would be nice to get a win to help set us up for next season."

Moilanen, out of contract in the summer, exited Tynecastle this week to head back to Finland after playing second fiddle to Gordon ever since losing his place after a 5-0 defeat by Celtic at Parkhead on October 18, 2003.

He left, though, with lavish words of praise from his sparring partner.

"Tepi is an experienced goalkeeper and passed on a few things to me. I'm pleased to have had him at the club and I'd like to thank him for everything he has done for me personally," said Gordon.

"He has been brilliant for my game and I'm not sure I would be here just now if I hadn't had him helping me along the way.

"Even though he wasn't playing he was always there encouraging me and talking me through a few things. He was magnificent for me. He could easily have taken the hump at being the experienced keeper and not playing but he didn't do that and I think that speaks volumes for the type of person he is."

Taken from the Scotsman