Craig Gordon’s Sunderland love shines in testimonial pick

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‘The fans were excellent with me’ – Craig Gordon says Sunderland were the ‘obvious choice’ for testimonial

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It speaks volumes about Sunderland that Craig Gordon wanted his former club to feature in his testimonial match.

On the face of it, he only played 88 games for the Lads during a difficult period which almost signalled the end of his playing career. Gordon broke his arm twice, suffered a knee injury and spent many months on the sidelines.

Yet Gordon was at Sunderland for five years and during that time, he clearly developed a fondness for the club and the city. Just this week, the likeable Scotsman

spoke of the “excellent” support he received from our fans and how he was relishing the chance to say a long-awaited “thank you” on Saturday.

It also speaks volumes about Craig Gordon, who said Sunderland were the “obvious choice” to play against Hearts in his testimonial, despite playing almost 150 games for Celtic.

Gordon’s career has been nothing short of remarkable. Still playing for Hearts in the SPL at the age of 42 and having amassed 81 caps for Scotland, you wouldn’t believe this was the same injury-ravaged player who Sunderland released in May 2012 before embarking on coaching and TV work.

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But he never gave up, signing for Celtic as a free agent two years later and working his way back to full fitness and top form, returning to his hometown club Hearts in 2020 and clocking up 253 appearances for the Edinburgh side, over two spells.

Of course, it was from Hearts where Sunderland broke what was then a British transfer record for a goalkeeper. Roy Keane paid £9 million of the club’s cash for a highly rated stopper to bolster his newly promoted side ahead of the 2007/08 Premier League campaign.

And he didn’t disappoint, making a clean sheet on his debut, a 1-0 win over Tottenham on the opening day of the season. Gordon’s ability as a keeper was never in question. Even in 2010, after extended periods on the sidelines, he was outstanding in our 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and made a stunning reflex save in a game against Fulham.

It’s probably fair to say that injuries prevented Gordon from being mentioned in the same bracket as Thomas Sørensen at Sunderland. Both were here for five years, but the Danish international made almost twice the number of appearances (171), playing a key role in our promotion to the top flight and also as we became an established Premier League outfit in the early 2000s.

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During his time at Sunderland, Gordon’s injury record forced the club to bring in other top keepers, notably Simon Mignolet. It meant the Scot was battling on all fronts just to get a game.

Should Martin O’Neill and Sunderland have stuck with Gordon in 2012? Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we’ll never know what a fully fit Craig Gordon at the peak of his career could have achieved in the game.

But his return to fitness and a stellar career which has continued north of the border is to be applauded, as is his continuity well beyond the age of 40.

It’s to Gordon’s credit that he has made the most of his opportunities, but also that he has never forgotten his Premier League days at Sunderland and the backing he received from our supporters.

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