CRAIG GORDON was 23 years old the last time he played in a cup final.

He was a Scotland regular by then and part of a talented Hearts side that would finish second in the league, qualify for the Champions League, and lift the Scottish Cup. Within 15 months he would be playing in the Barclays Premier League after Sunderland paid a British record £9m to recruit him from Tynecastle. Gordon was never blasé or complacent about his prospects of future success but, as he trudged off the Hampden pitch after helping defeat Gretna on penalties in 2006, he did not expect to have to wait a further nine years for the chance to get his hands on silverware once more.

There is nothing that makes a football fan feel older than witnessing a one-time promising young player become one of the senior figures in a side. So it is with Gordon who at 32 years old will be the eldest player in the Celtic side that lines up against Dundee United in tomorrow's League Cup final at Hampden. Not that the goalkeeper is giving any impression that he is approaching the twilight of his career. He has been a figure revitalised at Celtic this season following two years of uncertainty as he made his return from a persistent knee injury, a key figure in the team's push for a domestic treble. With a further year on his contract - and the option of an extra 12 months after that - there is every chance he could be appearing in plenty more finals before the time comes for him to finally hang up his gloves.

Gordon, though, wants to savour his return to Hampden on club duty tomorrow. He is not egotistical enough to want to be the penalty hero again - "I wouldn't care, I just want to try to win the game" - but hopes that, should Celtic emerge triumphant to win their first League Cup in six years, he can drink it all in.

"I didn't think it would be this long before I played in another final," he admitted. "I probably didn't appreciate it at the time like I should have done - playing in a cup final, winning a cup. But I haven't been close until now so I'm going to enjoy this one a little bit more, although I'll only enjoy it if we win the match. It's not something I'll look back on fondly if we don't. But certainly I want to take it in a little more this time.

"You can play hundreds of games in your career but the cup finals, promotions, relegations, whatever you do in your career - they are the moments which will sit with you. They come back easily. You can recall those matches, and most of the things that have happened in them stick with you. When you experience success you'll remember those times."

The roles of favourite and underdog were even clearer nine years ago than they will be tomorrow. Gretna were on the rise but still in the third tier of Scottish football. Hearts were expected to win comfortably but ended up scraping through.

"Gretna did very well," Gordon recalled. "We were running out of steam towards the end of the season, we had a big push to try and finish second in the league and Champions League qualification. We were probably running on empty but the thought we could go there and win the game. We were 1-0 up then second half we struggled a little bit. Physically we were tiring and Gretna came more and more into the game and scored a goal off the rebound from the penalty. We got through to the penalty shootout with our main penalty taker [Paul Hartley] sent off so there was a lot going on. It almost didn't work out for us but thankfully we managed to do it in the end."

This time a year ago Gordon was training with Rangers, ironically, as he looked to get back to full fitness. The prospect of playing in a cup final was not on his radar.

"I couldn't have imagined 12 months ago coming towards a League Cup final that I'd be involved in it. It's fantastic for me personally to come back from where I've been to now be facing that. At the end of the season I'll take a step back and reflect on it all. But at the moment I have to keep my mind on the job and make sure I prepare in the right way."

Chelsea are thought to have shown an interest in signing Gordon in January. But would be happy sitting on the bench at his age? "Who says I wouldn't be number one?" he smiled, a glint in his eye. He is ready for tomorrow.