Hearts veteran Craig Gordon is set to reach two Hearts landmarks this evening against Bundesliga side Heidenheim.
The Jambos face the Germans in the Europa Conference League at Tynecastle after winning their first two league phase games against Dinamo Minsk and Omonoia.
Gordon played every minute of those victories and with another start tonight in Gorgie, he’ll reach 300 appearances for Hearts.
The Scotland goalkeeper could also secure his 100th clean sheet in a maroon jersey and will be hoping his defence in front of him will be on their A-game to help deliver the achievement in such a big game.
Kye Rowles will be involved in that endeavour and after being told Gordon was set to play his 300th game for the Jambos, the Aussie crowned Gordon a ‘legend’ and went as far as saying he’s like a father figure.
Kye Rowles praises Hearts legend Craig Gordon
As quoted in the Daily Record, Rowles said: “That’s pretty special, 300. Legend! It’s amazing. He’s a great leader. Obviously a super ambassador for this club. I’ll have to give him a big cuddle before the game!
“Without sounding rude to him and his age, he’s like a father. He just passes on knowledge, is always there to lend a hand, always helpful.
“That’s what you need on the field. You need people that you’re going to fight for and they’ve got your back, you’ve got theirs.
“I think he embodies that role immensely and does such a good job as a leader. It’s just great to have him there. He leads by example. If you get yelled at by him, you know you’ve done something pretty wrong.
“It’s best not to get to that level! Just always guiding you where to be, giving tips on, maybe this went wrong, this could maybe help it be better.
“I think just that calmness. He never gets flustered. There’s a lot of goalkeepers that are quite aggro. I’m sure he is in his head but he doesn’t portray that way.
“I think he’s maybe more harsh on himself than he is others, which is another great quality. Always trying to help us learn from our mistakes and things like that.
“You get to know the man and he cares so much about this club. He’s honoured and privileged obviously. Fingers crossed we can get him a clean sheet. That would be pretty important to getting any result out of the game, obviously.”
Can Hearts secure Europa Conference League play-off spot tonight?
In short, yes. With three points against Heidenheim, who also boast a 100 percent winning record in the Conference League, Hearts will guarantee a spot in the knockout play-off round.
That would take them to nine points with three games left and it would be enough to finish at least in the top 24 places in the league phase.
A draw against Heidenheim wouldn’t be the worst result either and would keep the Jambos well in the fight to qualify out of the league.
But Hearts fans will be eager to see their side secure their future progression this evening before they face Cercle Brugge, FC Copenhagen and Petrocub.