CRAIG GORDON had words of comfort for Celtic after captaining Hearts to their 2-1 win over Ange Postecoglou’s side in the Premiership opener at Tynecastle on Saturday night.
The 38-year-old keeper made stops in the fading moments to deny James Forrest and Carl Starfelt to make sure Hearts got off to a winning start – and left the new Hoops boss still looking for his first win after three competitive games.
However, Gordon, who left Parkhead at the end of his contract last summer with the club about to bring in £4.5million Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens, still reckons Postecoglou and his old mates will turn the corner and come good.
The Scotland international said: “Certainly, if Celtic play like that, they are going to score goals and win games.
“Celtic are steadily finding their feet. We know it’s a rebuilding job for them. They showed signs of a team coming together. They moved the ball very well and made it very difficult for us.
“I’m just thankful we were able to deal with it. We had to give up a lot of possession and take the pressure.
“From Celtic’s side of things, if they can continue to do that, they will score goals.”
Gordon’s big moment came only moments after the unmarked John Souttar had headed the Edinburgh side into the lead after some lamentable defending from a free-kick.
A neat touch from Odsonne Edouard sent Forrest clear in a one-on-one situation with the advancing netminder. Unfortunately, the experienced winger elected to blast the ball when a bit more composure and precision would have been the better option and his shot clipped Gordon on its way past the post.
Gordon, speaking to the Daily Record, added: “We got an excellent result. Celtic had a lot of the ball and played some really good stuff going forward and we had to work so, so hard to cope with that. So, it was a big moment for us to start the season with a good result.
“If we were asked if we wanted a draw before the game, I am sure we would have taken it, but given the circumstances of the save, to keep that one out at that particular time in the first game of the season was big for us.
“I actually didn’t even know who it was from until after the game. It was a big chance and I had to spread myself and get the block on it.
“Even when it hit my arm I wasn’t entirely sure I had got enough on it until I looked round to see it missing the goal.
“It was big because that would have put a dampener on it being so close to the win if we had only got a draw.”
