Zander Clark knew what he was getting into when he chose Hearts in the summer.
The job of displacing Craig Gordon was a monumental one and getting into the Scotland squad looked like an even bigger ask. Yet tomorrow, the Jambos keeper will almost certainly achieve the latter, having already done the former due to Gordon’s horrific leg break on Christmas Eve.
The former St Johnstone No.1 admits the circumstances in which he has taken over from Gordon aren’t ideal but having been handed the gloves, he’s carried on with the form he showed in Perth that was good enough to make the Scotland set-up a couple of years ago. And when Steve Clarke names his squad for this month’s Euro qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain, it’s looking like a straight fight for a starting slot between the Tynecastle shot-stopper and Norwich’s Angus Gunn.
That’s a challenge he’ll relish, having already taken on such a big one by backing himself to win a first-team jersey with his club side. Next up, he hopes it will be a similar success story for his country and if Clark can replicate the form he showed in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Celtic in the Scottish Cup, he won’t be far away.
“I believe in myself,” he said. “I’ve played in high-profile games. That would be a massive moment but I need to make sure I’m in the squad first before I start talking about that.
“It’s a clean slate for whoever is selected to try and get that starting place. Craigy, Greegsy (Allan McGregor) and big Marsh (David Marshall) have played nearly every game for Scotland for the last 25 years or something, so it’s going to be a clean slate.
“The quality the three of them have produced over the years is incredible. As a fan as well, it’s great to see. Whoever goes in next needs to try and replicate that form consistently over the years. If you’re in the squad, it’s a chance to show the manager you’re ready to step in.
“If it’s myself, Angus, Liam Kelly, Jon McLaughlin – it’s an opportunity. There is going to be a new face in between the sticks. It’s been a long time since there’s been a fresh face in there. It’s up to us to train well and show the manager that we’re capable of doing the job.
“I feel I’ve been playing well since I came into the team. It was always my aim to get back in about the (Scotland) squads. I hadn’t played enough football to feature previously.
“When I joined the club, I knew it would be a difficult task. The big man (Gordon) has been outstanding and I always want to try and push myself. It was half an hour along the road so we didn’t need to up sticks and move. My wife is settled in her job and something just felt right about it.
“It was horrific circumstances in how I managed to get into the team but I’m just delighted it has worked out. My aim was to try and get a couple of games here and there. It’s turned out that I’ve played a heck of a lot more than I anticipated.”
The 30-year-old might have been beaten three times but it could have been double and although he was disappointed with the defeat, he knows he’s in a good place.
That doesn’t dampen the dismay of the Scottish Cup exit, though, and the man who wore the armband at the weekend added: “It was 3-0 and we can do better with the goals as a collective. We knew they would come out the traps and come after us straight away.
“It was up to us to show bravery and composure on the ball. We are disappointed at how we lost the goals. The first one is a cutback, (Aaron) Mooy is at the edge free and we should be picking him up.
“If we could get to half-time at 1-0 it’s a different story for us. We just switch off to a throw-in with the last kick of the half. If we get pressure on the ball, the ref would have blown the whistle for half-time. They get the ball in across the front of goal, then a flick at the front post and it’s in.
“Rather than being 1-0 down, you are 2-0 down. It’s a mountain to climb after that. We have a squad full of quality and the guys on the park were capable of getting a result, it just wasn’t to be. It’s frustrating. It seems to have been a theme all season that we are picking up injuries. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
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