Zander Clark has taste for more Scotland caps after competitive debut in Georgia

Zander Clark has got the taste for more Scotland caps after making his competitive debut in the 2-2 draw in Georgia.

With Angus Gunn injured, the Hearts goalkeeper got the nod for his first Scotland start ahead of Motherwell’s Liam Kelly.

Clark bounced back from the loss of an early goal to make several assured stops including one in the dying seconds following Tynecastle team-mate Lawrence Shankland’s stoppage-time equaliser.

The recognition has been a long time coming for the former St Johnstone player, who was tipped for a call-up long before he first broke into Steve Clarke’s squad in August 2021.

@Zanderr1 is making his first Scotland start this evening.#GEOSCO pic.twitter.com/f1BzLIdCho

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) November 16, 2023

“I am immensely proud,” the 31-year-old said. “I was proud when I got the 45 minutes in France but to get the first competitive one means an awful lot.

“Representing your country is something you dream of as a kid and thankfully I have been able to do it.

“Hopefully I have done enough and I can try and get many more but I know it’s going to be a tough ask. But I am just delighted to eventually get to taste it and it’s something I want more of.

“On a personal level, delighted, as a collective there is obviously a bit of disappointment not to take three points from the game. But we said after it, when you can’t win the game, you just need to make sure you don’t lose it.”

Clark admitted he had to focus on the game rather than his own excitement after hearing he was in the team ahead of Kelly and Robby McCrorie.

“It was just in the pre-match meeting, the manager named the team,” he said.

“The three of us have worked this week in the build-up to it, so it was going to be a tough decision, I was just thankful I managed to get the nod.

“I was obviously delighted but you just need to put it to the back of your mind and concentrate on the game, which I thought I did.

“It’s a proud moment to see your name in the starting line-up but you quickly forget about that and it’s mind on the business.”

25′ | Shhengelia lets go of a fierce shot on the left of the Scotland box, forcing Zander Clark into a smart save.

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