CRAIG GORDON is hoping a solid display against Manchester City will help him retain his No.1 spot at Celtic.
The 33-year-old keeper was kept busy in the 3-3 draw as he made his debut in the Champions League group stages.
The Scotland international looked safe and produced a stunning save in the fading moments to deny Pep Guardiola’s team a late winner when a shot from Ilkay Gundogan deflected off Erik Sviatchenko.
Brendan Rodgers dropped the goalie to bring in his former Swansea netminder Dorus de Vries against Aberdeen last month, but the Dutchman, after conceding 12 goals in four-and-a-half games, was on the subs’ bench last night.
Gordon said: “I was happy with how I played – that’s all I can do.
“Everybody wants to be a part of nights like that. There is no bigger incentive to play well and keep your place.
“This is the highest level of club football and to finally manage that at the age of 33 is a special moment for me.
“We’d have liked to get the three points, but it was an incredible effort against a top quality side.”
Asked how the match ranked in his long career, he replied: “It’s right up there. The atmosphere was just incredible.
“The noise was unbelievable. There were a couple of times when I was absolutely screaming at Kolo Toure to leave the ball and he just couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t have shouted any louder.”
Gordon, capped 44 times, insisted his self-belief has not wavered since dropping to the bench and is hoping boss Rodgers will find it difficult to reinstate De Vries.
He added: “I’ve always been confident in what I’m able to do. It was other people saying my confidence was gone.
“If I’ve not been selected, that’s the manager’s decision and I fully respect that. The other side of that is that I want to play every game.
“I think I’ve done pretty well in stages this season and if I can get a run in the team then, hopefully, I can go from strength to strength.”
Brendan Rodgers was man enough to admit his mistake in dropping Gordon and after last night’s performance it is hard to see him opting for any other keeper other than the big shot stopper for the rest of the season.
Certainly the vast majority of the Celtic support, if not them all, will be delighted that Craig Gordon is back to his best and back in goals for the Champions.
You appreciate him all the more when he’s not been there for a while!
* Supporter image by Patrick McGuire.
