CLARKE MAY TURN TO GORD TO BE KEEPER

Kelly and Falkirk’s Scott Bain have also been included in the 25 strong group but, with 81 caps, Gordon's experience at international level looks set to be acritical factor in Clarke's selection.

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And the manager insisted yesterday that Gordon's complete lack of action at club level will not count against the veteran making a blockbuster return.

Clarke said: “We were in the same position in September when Angus hadn't been playing either. He went in and he didn't do too badly.

“Like I said, always with the keepers, it’s a different position, quite often they're the number two or the number three. As long as you know you've got boys who train well, work well, they should be ready for the game.”

Asked if Gordon's vast back catalogue might come into consideration he replied: “Craig's obviously got the amount of caps that he’s got, he’s never let his country down.

“Liam's an experienced keeper, Scott Bain made a big decision to come out of Celtic and go and play regular first-team football.

“Now that he's in the squad, this is probably a reward for that decision.

“As always, we'll look at all three of them in training. I'll lean heavily on Chris Woods, my goalkeeping coach, and we'll decide.”