Craig Gordon
Encyclopedia
Craig Sinclair Gordon is a Scottish footballer, currently playing as a goalkeeper for both Sunderland
and the Scotland national team
. He was a nominee for STV's Scotland's Greatest Ever Football Team in 2010.
Gordon started his career with Scottish Premier League
side Hearts
, where he won the 2006 Scottish Cup
. He spent the 2001-02 seasonon loan to Scottish Second Division side Cowdenbeath
. In 2007 English Premier League club Sunderland
bought him for £9 million, the highest fee a British club had ever paid for a goalkeeper until the transfer of David de Gea
to Manchester Utd in 2011.
supporter since his time there. He is a graduate of Hearts' youth development programme, which in recent years has also produced fellow Scottish internationals Gary Naysmith
, Allan Johnston
, Paul Ritchie and Robbie Neilson
.
on 6 October 2002, and within 12 months had replaced Tepi Moilanen as the regular custodian of the Hearts goal. His performances during the 2003–04 season
resulted in him being short-listed for the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year
award, which was won by then Celtic
midfielder
, Stephen Pearson
.
Gordon had become a Scotland
regular by 2005 and his consistent displays during the 2005–06
season helped Hearts to a second place finish in the Scottish Premier League
and victory in the Scottish Cup
. The trophy was won in a penalty shootout against Gretna
following a 1–1 draw, with Gordon saving opponent Gavin Skelton
's penalty. That season he was voted Scottish Football Writers' Association
Player of the Year, becoming the first Hearts player to win the award since Sandy Jardine in 1986 and also the first goalkeeper since Rangers
' Andy Goram
in 1993.
For much of the 2006–07 season
rumours linked Gordon with a move away from Tynecastle
, particularly following his involvement in the issuing of a statement against club owner Vladimir Romanov
. Gordon and Paul Hartley
flanked captain Steven Pressley
as he read out a statement claiming there was "significant unrest" in the Hearts dressing room. The venue for this statement, Hearts' Riccarton training ground, led to the media dubbing the players the "Riccarton Three". Rangers, Aston Villa
, Arsenal
and Manchester United
were all credited with an interest in the player in late 2006. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
observed Gordon in action in Scotland's 1–0 victory against France
in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. He touted Gordon as having "presence and good handling and [he] looks a very good goalkeeper to me." Gordon confirmed his rising stock with a spectacular cross-goal save in the October 2006 Edinburgh derby
and the following month he was named as Hearts' new captain, replacing the departed Pressley.
Despite Hearts' claims that he was ill, he was "dropped" to the bench for the game against Dundee United
in December 2006 for what many believed to be a disciplinary measure by the club following his involvement in the "Riccarton Three" statement. He was reinstated, however, for the Edinburgh derby match against Hibernian
three days later. He was not listed in the squad to face Rangers on 27 January 2007, just four days before the closure of the transfer window
, and it was confirmed by the club that they were negotiating his transfer. Gordon, however, remained a Hearts player when the window closed.
In March 2007, Gordon expressed his interest in playing for Arsenal, after reports had cited that he was linked as a candidate to succeed the veteran Jens Lehmann
as Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper, stating "Arsenal is one of the top teams in Britain, in Europe, if not the world, so it is something that would definitely interest any player". Hearts failure to qualify for European competition at the season's end further increased speculation that Gordon would be sold, with Sunderland and Aston Villa
rumoured suitors in July 2007. His appearance in Hearts 3–2 friendly defeat by FC Barcelona
on 28 July proved to be his last for the club.
On 8 November, Gordon was inducted into the Hearts Hall of Fame. Still only 24, he was the youngest player ever to have that honour bestowed upon him.
Gordon made his debut for Sunderland in the Premier League opening game against Tottenham Hotspur
, keeping a clean sheet as the side won 1–0. In this match his rival goalkeeper, Paul Robinson
, was the England first choice. It was the first time a Scotland first choice goalkeeper and an England first choice goalkeeper had faced each other in a club match since 2001, when Arsenal's David Seaman
faced Tottenham's Neil Sullivan
.
Even though £9 million was spent on Gordon, Sunderland manager Roy Keane
dropped him to the bench, after Sunderland's 7–1 loss to Everton
in December, Welsh goalkeeper Darren Ward
took his place. He regained his place as first choice goalkeeper three games later.
In the middle of the 2008–09 season, Gordon was out for several months with a knee injury and found himself as backup to Márton Fülöp
.
However at the start of the 2009–10 season, Gordon regained his place in the starting 11. On 7 November away at Tottenham Hotspur
, he broke his arm in a collison with Jermain Defoe
and was on sidelines for nearly three months. He returned on 23 January in a game against Portsmouth
..
During the summer, Gordon had surgery on his broken arm, where they removed the metal plate. He returned to training days after. However, during a training session, he fractured the arm again. It was confirmed he would miss the start of the 2010–11 Premier League campaign, with Sunderland's new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet
deputising. When Gordon returned from his injury, he was kept out of the starting line up. On 9 November 2010, Gordon made his first appearance of the season away at Tottenham Hotspur
. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. Gordon also starred in Sunderland's 3–0 win over Chelsea. Then on 18 December 2010 Gordon made a stunning reflex save to deny Zat Knight
in Sunderland's 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. However, injury woes would strike again for Gordon, as he suffered a tendon injury in his knee, resulting in him being replaced by Mignolet. Luckily for Gordon, the knee tendon problem still ables him to be the sub goalkeeper, despite not being fully fit. On 19 April 2011, it was revealed that Gordon had undergone knee surgery to repair his knee tendon and the Anterior cruciate ligament injury
he had suffered. As a result he was ruled out for up to 8 months.
The summer recruitment of Coventry City's goalkeeper Kieren Westwood
added further doubt to the Scotsman's future. He was linked to Arsenal and Celtic amongst many clubs in August 2011.
at Easter Road Stadium on 30 May 2004 during Berti Vogts
' reign, before establishing himself as the first choice under Walter Smith
. BBC pundit and former player Allan Preston
saw him as a potential Scottish great, describing him as "one of the best goalkeepers in Europe". After a 1–1 draw with Italy
he drew praise from his hero Gianluigi Buffon
who said he could be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
|2000–01||rowspan="2"|Hearts
||rowspan="2"|Premier League
||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2001–02||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2001–02||Cowdenbeath
(Loan)||Second Division
||12||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||13||0
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="5"|Hearts
||rowspan="5"|Premier League
||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|2003–04||30||0||2||0||2||0||2||0||36||0
|-
|2004–05||38||0||6||0||3||0||6||0||53||0
|-
|2005–06||36||0||5||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||43||0
|-
|2006–07||34||0||1||0||1||0||6||0||42||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Hearts Total
!139!!0!!15!!0!!8!!0!!14!!0!!176!!0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="5"|Sunderland
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||34||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||0
|-
|2008–09||12||0||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0
|-
|2009–10||26||0||1||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||30||0
|-
|2010–11
||15||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|2011–12||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Sunderland Total
!87!!0!!3!!0!!4!!0!!0!!0!!94!!0
|-
236||0||18||0||13||0||14||0||275||0
Stats accurate as of 13 February 2011
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
and the Scotland national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. He was a nominee for STV's Scotland's Greatest Ever Football Team in 2010.
Gordon started his career with Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
, where he won the 2006 Scottish Cup
2006 Scottish Cup Final
The 2006 Scottish Cup Final was played on 13 May 2006 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 120th Scottish Cup. The final was contested by Heart of Midlothian , who beat Hibernian 4–0 in the semi-final, and Gretna, who beat Dundee 3–0....
. He spent the 2001-02 seasonon loan to Scottish Second Division side Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...
. In 2007 English Premier League club Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
bought him for £9 million, the highest fee a British club had ever paid for a goalkeeper until the transfer of David de Gea
David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester United as a goalkeeper. Born in Madrid, he started his career aged 10 with Atlético Madrid and rose through the academy system at the club before making his senior debut in 2009...
to Manchester Utd in 2011.
Club career
Gordon attended Balerno Community High School from 1994 until 1999, a well known HeartsHeart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
supporter since his time there. He is a graduate of Hearts' youth development programme, which in recent years has also produced fellow Scottish internationals Gary Naysmith
Gary Naysmith
Gary Andrew Naysmith is a Scottish footballer, currently playing for Huddersfield Town in League One and has been capped for the Scotland national team 46 times...
, Allan Johnston
Allan Johnston
Allan 'Magic' Johnston is a Scottish international professional association footballer currently signed to Queen of the South where he is now also the first team coach.-Hearts:...
, Paul Ritchie and Robbie Neilson
Robbie Neilson
Robbie Neilson is a Scottish internationalist professional association footballer who plays as a right back or centre back. He is currently contracted to Dundee United until the end of the 2010-11 season. Neilson started his league career with Heart of Midlothian, for whom he made 200 Scottish...
.
Cowdenbeath (loan)
Craig went on loan to lower league side Cowdenbeath where he played a handful of games before being recalled to the Hearts team. His first professional game was at Forthbank in a match versus Stirling Albion.Hearts
He made his debut for Hearts in a 1–1 draw with LivingstonLivingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
on 6 October 2002, and within 12 months had replaced Tepi Moilanen as the regular custodian of the Hearts goal. His performances during the 2003–04 season
2003-04 in Scottish football
The 2003–04 season was the 107th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League season was won by Celtic with 98 points, 17 points ahead of closest challengers Rangers. Both Rangers and Celtic therefore gained the two UEFA...
resulted in him being short-listed for the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year
Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year
The Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year is named at the end of every Scottish football season. The members of the Professional Footballers' Association vote on which of its young members played the best football in the previous year. The award was first given in 1978.- List of winners :-Winners...
award, which was won by then Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, Stephen Pearson
Stephen Pearson
Stephen Paul Pearson is a Scottish footballer who plays for Bristol City, on loan from Derby County in the English Championship. He is a full international for Scotland, and also played for Motherwell, Celtic and Stoke City.-Early career:Pearson was born in Lanark...
.
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
regular by 2005 and his consistent displays during the 2005–06
2005-06 in Scottish football
The 2005–06 season was the 109th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2005:*1 June: Gordon Strachan officially takes charge of Celtic after the resignation of Martin O'Neill...
season helped Hearts to a second place finish in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and victory in the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
. The trophy was won in a penalty shootout against Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
following a 1–1 draw, with Gordon saving opponent Gavin Skelton
Gavin Skelton
Gavin Richard Skelton is an English footballer who is currently playing in the Conference National with Barrow.-Career:...
's penalty. That season he was voted Scottish Football Writers' Association
Scottish Football Writers' Association
The Scottish Football Writers' Association is an association of Scottish football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies, founded in 1965...
Player of the Year, becoming the first Hearts player to win the award since Sandy Jardine in 1986 and also the first goalkeeper since Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
' Andy Goram
Andy Goram
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...
in 1993.
For much of the 2006–07 season
2006-07 in Scottish football
The 2006–07 season was the 110th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2006:*9 July: Rangers defender Fernando Ricksen is banned for the club's pre-season trip to South Africa, following an incident on the outbound flight. Manager Paul Le Guen cited "wholly inappropriate and...
rumours linked Gordon with a move away from Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
, particularly following his involvement in the issuing of a statement against club owner Vladimir Romanov
Vladimir Romanov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Romanov ; born 1947 in Tver Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR) is an ethnic Russian businessman who also holds Lithuanian citizenship following that country's independence from the Soviet Union. He is chairman of UBIG Investments which is the majority shareholder in Scottish Premier...
. Gordon and Paul Hartley
Paul Hartley
Paul James Hartley is a Scottish professional footballer. He is currently player and manager at Alloa Athletic. Hartley began his career as a right winger, but was moved into a central midfield position in 2002...
flanked captain Steven Pressley
Steven Pressley
Steven John "Elvis" Pressley is a retired Scottish footballer, who is now the manager of Scottish First Division club Falkirk. Pressley had a long playing career, playing for both halves of the Old Firm and making over 100 league appearances for both Dundee United and Hearts...
as he read out a statement claiming there was "significant unrest" in the Hearts dressing room. The venue for this statement, Hearts' Riccarton training ground, led to the media dubbing the players the "Riccarton Three". Rangers, Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
were all credited with an interest in the player in late 2006. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
observed Gordon in action in Scotland's 1–0 victory against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. He touted Gordon as having "presence and good handling and [he] looks a very good goalkeeper to me." Gordon confirmed his rising stock with a spectacular cross-goal save in the October 2006 Edinburgh derby
Edinburgh derby
The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian , the two professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce rivalry that dates back to the clubs being founded in the mid-1870s, which...
and the following month he was named as Hearts' new captain, replacing the departed Pressley.
Despite Hearts' claims that he was ill, he was "dropped" to the bench for the game against Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
in December 2006 for what many believed to be a disciplinary measure by the club following his involvement in the "Riccarton Three" statement. He was reinstated, however, for the Edinburgh derby match against Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
three days later. He was not listed in the squad to face Rangers on 27 January 2007, just four days before the closure of the transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
, and it was confirmed by the club that they were negotiating his transfer. Gordon, however, remained a Hearts player when the window closed.
In March 2007, Gordon expressed his interest in playing for Arsenal, after reports had cited that he was linked as a candidate to succeed the veteran Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann
Jens Gerhard Lehmann is a German former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning...
as Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper, stating "Arsenal is one of the top teams in Britain, in Europe, if not the world, so it is something that would definitely interest any player". Hearts failure to qualify for European competition at the season's end further increased speculation that Gordon would be sold, with Sunderland and Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
rumoured suitors in July 2007. His appearance in Hearts 3–2 friendly defeat by FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
on 28 July proved to be his last for the club.
On 8 November, Gordon was inducted into the Hearts Hall of Fame. Still only 24, he was the youngest player ever to have that honour bestowed upon him.
Sunderland
It was announced on 7 August 2007 that Gordon had agreed a five year contract with Sunderland, with confirmation of the move coming the following day.The £9m fee was the highest a British club had ever paid for a goalkeeper, until Manchester United payed around £18 million for David de Gea, from Athletico Madrid; the rivals of Real Madrid respectively.Gordon made his debut for Sunderland in the Premier League opening game against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, keeping a clean sheet as the side won 1–0. In this match his rival goalkeeper, Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)
Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...
, was the England first choice. It was the first time a Scotland first choice goalkeeper and an England first choice goalkeeper had faced each other in a club match since 2001, when Arsenal's David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
faced Tottenham's Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan is an English-born Scottish ex-international professional Association footballer. A goalkeeper, Sullivan currently plays for Doncaster Rovers after signing on a permanent basis from Leeds United at the end of the 2006–07 season, following two loan moves to Doncaster...
.
Even though £9 million was spent on Gordon, Sunderland manager Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
dropped him to the bench, after Sunderland's 7–1 loss to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in December, Welsh goalkeeper Darren Ward
Darren Ward (goalkeeper)
Darren Ward is a former Welsh international football goalkeeper and current Academy goalkeeping coach at Sheffield United.-Club career:...
took his place. He regained his place as first choice goalkeeper three games later.
In the middle of the 2008–09 season, Gordon was out for several months with a knee injury and found himself as backup to Márton Fülöp
Márton Fülöp
Márton Fülöp is a Hungarian footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a goalkeeper. After playing in Hungary for MTK Budapest FC, BKV Előre SC and BFC Siófok, he signed for English club Tottenham Hotspur....
.
However at the start of the 2009–10 season, Gordon regained his place in the starting 11. On 7 November away at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, he broke his arm in a collison with Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
and was on sidelines for nearly three months. He returned on 23 January in a game against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
..
During the summer, Gordon had surgery on his broken arm, where they removed the metal plate. He returned to training days after. However, during a training session, he fractured the arm again. It was confirmed he would miss the start of the 2010–11 Premier League campaign, with Sunderland's new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet
Simon Mignolet
Simon Mignolet is a Belgian football goalkeeper, who currently plays for Sunderland in the Barclays Premier League, and the Belgian national team.-Sint-Truiden:...
deputising. When Gordon returned from his injury, he was kept out of the starting line up. On 9 November 2010, Gordon made his first appearance of the season away at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. Gordon also starred in Sunderland's 3–0 win over Chelsea. Then on 18 December 2010 Gordon made a stunning reflex save to deny Zat Knight
Zat Knight
Zatyiah "Zat" Knight is an English footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League. Knight has two caps for England.-Club career:-Fulham:Fulham signed Knight from Rushall Olympic on a free transfer in 1999...
in Sunderland's 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. However, injury woes would strike again for Gordon, as he suffered a tendon injury in his knee, resulting in him being replaced by Mignolet. Luckily for Gordon, the knee tendon problem still ables him to be the sub goalkeeper, despite not being fully fit. On 19 April 2011, it was revealed that Gordon had undergone knee surgery to repair his knee tendon and the Anterior cruciate ligament injury
Anterior cruciate ligament injury
An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament can be a debilitating musculoskeletal injury to the knee, seen most often in athletes. Non-contact tears and ruptures are the most common causes of ACL injury....
he had suffered. As a result he was ruled out for up to 8 months.
The summer recruitment of Coventry City's goalkeeper Kieren Westwood
Kieren Westwood
Keiren Westwood is an English-born Irish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland national football team...
added further doubt to the Scotsman's future. He was linked to Arsenal and Celtic amongst many clubs in August 2011.
International career
Gordon made his Scotland debut in a 4–1 victory over Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
at Easter Road Stadium on 30 May 2004 during Berti Vogts
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria...
' reign, before establishing himself as the first choice under Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
. BBC pundit and former player Allan Preston
Allan Preston
Allan Preston is a retired Scottish professional footballer and manager. He is currently a radio sports pundit for BBC Scotland.- Playing career :...
saw him as a potential Scottish great, describing him as "one of the best goalkeepers in Europe". After a 1–1 draw with Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
he drew praise from his hero Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
who said he could be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Club
|-|2000–01||rowspan="2"|Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2001–02||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-
|-
|2001–02||Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...
(Loan)||Second Division
Scottish Football League Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....
||12||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||13||0
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="5"|Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
||rowspan="5"|Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||0
|-
|2003–04||30||0||2||0||2||0||2||0||36||0
|-
|2004–05||38||0||6||0||3||0||6||0||53||0
|-
|2005–06||36||0||5||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||43||0
|-
|2006–07||34||0||1||0||1||0||6||0||42||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Hearts Total
!139!!0!!15!!0!!8!!0!!14!!0!!176!!0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="5"|Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||34||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||0
|-
|2008–09||12||0||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0
|-
|2009–10||26||0||1||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||30||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Sunderland A.F.C. season
The 2010-11 season is Sunderland's fourth consecutive season in the top division of English football, the Premier League.-Pre-season friendlies:-Premier League:-Table:-League Cup:-FA Cup:-Disciplinary Record:-Overall:-Goalscorers:...
||15||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|2011–12||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Sunderland Total
!87!!0!!3!!0!!4!!0!!0!!0!!94!!0
|-
236||0||18||0||13||0||14||0||275||0
Stats accurate as of 13 February 2011