BEING named the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year for a record-breaking third occasion is an unexpected bonus for Craig Gordon at the end of another memorable season.
But everything else the goalkeeper has achieved since returning to Hearts back in 2020 following a difficult spell at Celtic has gone entirely as planned.
Gordon had some very clear goals when he moved to from Parkhead to Tynecastle two years ago.
He was determined to prove that he could still perform at the highest level despite his advancing years and force his way back into the Scotland side.
His manager Robbie Neilson, meanwhile, wanted to lead the capital outfit, who had just been demoted to the cinch Championship after a controversial SPFL vote, back into the Premiership and Europe.
Fast forward to the present day and they have both accomplished all of their objectives.
When the 40-year-old, who was previously honoured by the SFWA in 2006 and 2015, remarked yesterday that he would like to lift the award again in future he was joking.
“I have won it every eight years or so,” he said at a press conference at Hearts training ground at Oriam outside Edinburgh. “So I might get it again in 2030!”
Nothing, though, can be ruled out given Gordon’s remarkable longevity and all of the obstacles which he has successfully overcome
"The motivation for me was to come back and show everybody I could still do it,” he said. “I had spent a year on the bench at Celtic, I didn't particularly enjoy it and wanted to finish my career playing games.
"You never know if you will get the chance to come back here. It just so happened I was coming out of contract. So it was a great opportunity for me to come back and get playing.
"At the back of my mind, I wanted to get back playing for Scotland and put pressure on that No.1 position.
“I also wanted to get promoted out of the Championship and try to get Hearts into Europe. That was everything that was discussed when I came back. That was the plan.
"Things don't always go to plan. But that was the best-case scenario we wanted. It has worked out very well.”
Gordon, who is the Hearts captain as well their goalkeeper, is adored by the Gorgie faithful, but he confessed that had to win around a few doubters after he signed his contract.
“I feel very much at home here at Hearts,” he said. “That contributes to the performances, the feeling I get around here.
“I'm backed by players and management and it feels good being here. It's nice to be loved by the fans and have that respect, knowing they will be behind you no matter what.
"But it was always going to be difficult. There were probably a few fans who thought I was a bit old to come back and might not make the same impact as first time round.
“I still had to come and prove people wrong by performing well. That's what drives me to come back again and prove I can still play. I've got a few more years left.”
Neilson has certainly silenced those irate Hearts fans who called for him to be sacked following their humiliating Scottish Cup defeat to Brora Rangers last season.
Gordon knows his former team mate deserves enormous credit for the revival that both he and the Tynecastle club have enjoyed in the past two seasons.
"He has done a great job,” he said. “Everything he spoke about, what he was looking to do and how he was wanting to take the club forward, when I joined has come off.
“He has been well supported by those within the club. He knew it would be a difficult task and might take time, but he's done it very quickly.
"He has put a real good team on the park, created a great atmosphere and we've got a great chance towards the end of this season.”
Helping Hearts to beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup final and being a part of the first Scotland side to qualify for the World Cup finals since 1997 are Gordon’s next targets.
“That’s got to be the aim,” he said. “ It’s going to be by no means easy, but we have to try to do that on both fronts. Hearts have had a good season, but it could be really special.
“Going into the Scotland games in the summer, that’s also going to be very tough to come through both of them.
“But the aim is to try to be as successful as possible, and we need to keep winning games. It’s going to be a tough spell, but we and I will give it our best shot.”
