Gordon confirmed the end of his remarkable 24-year career at the top level this week, prompting an outpouring of admiration from those who knew him best.
Jim Stewart admits he got more than a little emotional when he watched Craig Gordon announce his retirement from football on Thursday after a career spanning three decades.
Stewart, widely regarded as the godfather of Scottish goalkeeping coaching, was by Gordon’s side for the majority of that extraordinary journey, both figuratively and literally.
It was Stewart who helped convince the Tynecastle hierarchy not to release a 15-year-old Gordon, who was initially deemed too small to make it as a professional goalkeeper.
That intervention proved to be one of the most significant sliding doors moments in Hearts’ recent history, as Gordon went on to grow past 6ft 4in and become a club legend.
Stewart was also Gordon’s goalkeeping coach when the keeper lifted his first major trophy at the 2006 Scottish Cup Final, a cherished memory for both men.
Seven years later, with Gordon cut adrift by Sunderland and facing the prospect of his career ending at 30 due to a serious knee injury, Stewart invited him to Rangers to begin an extensive rehabilitation programme.
Stewart worked alongside physio Stevie Walker and Doc Jackson to help Gordon through what the coach openly describes as a very difficult personal period.
“He was in a bad place at that time,” Stewart said, “Sunderland had kind of gave the ghost up with him and he was trying different things to get himself back.”
“We worked away with him. Stevie was doing the functional stuff and then the other side of it was reassurance. When you’re feeling anything, let the physio, let the doc know and then we can tailor it back a wee bit.”
Gordon’s dedication to that rehabilitation process left a lasting impression on everyone involved, with Stewart describing him as “religious” in how he approached his recovery.
The knee injury ultimately cost Gordon 27 months of action, making his subsequent return to the top level all the more remarkable given Sunderland had paid a British record £9m fee for him in 2007.
Stewart recalled the moment Hearts almost let Gordon slip through the net entirely, remembering how the teenager trained alongside established keepers such as Gilles Rousset and Antti Niemi.
“It’s funny because one of the reasons Hearts initially weren’t going to sign him was because he was too small,” Stewart said, reflecting on a decision that could have reshaped Scottish football history.
Stewart and academy director John Murray put their case forward, the club listened, and within a year Gordon had shot up well over six feet in height.
Gordon went on to play in the 2000 Youth Cup Final, helping Hearts beat Rangers in a performance Stewart described as outstanding, before embarking on a career that took in Hearts, Sunderland, Celtic and Scotland.
Stewart has worked with some of the finest Scottish goalkeepers ever produced, including Jim Leighton, Andy Goram, Allan McGregor and David Marshall, giving him a unique perspective on Gordon’s legacy.
“Of course Craig deserves his place among them all,” Stewart said, adding that his composure, confidence and air of being unflappable set him apart across a long and decorated career.
Stewart highlighted a save against Dundee earlier this year as among the most jaw-dropping moments of Gordon’s later career, proof that elite ability never truly deserts a truly gifted keeper.
“He’ll probably take a wee bit of time to regroup, spend time with his family and then I’m quite sure he’ll come back and offer the game something,” Stewart said, leaving the door open for Gordon’s next chapter.
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