Zander Clark bursting for Hearts cup glory as unfinished Hampden business has keeper desperate to down Rangers

When a miracle is achieved there should be no regrets. But while Zander Clark will always cherish the two cup winner’s medals he got as a St Johnstone player, something still rankles - that there were no fans inside Hampden to witness it.

When he checks the news right now – and listens to the evidence coming from the current Covid Inquiry – it irks him even more. Clark and his former Perth team-mates pulled off the impossible in 2021 by lifting both the League Cup and Scottish Cup.

He probably won’t experience anything like that double in his career again. But it’s tempered ever so slightly that instead of celebrating with family and friends on the Hampden turf, it was on a FaceTime phone call due to the restrictions of the pandemic.

That’s why he’d love to repeat the feat with Hearts. If the Jambos can get past Rangers in Sunday's Viaplay Cup semi-final, they will edge closer to silverware. And this time, if Clark can get his hands on it in front of 50,000 supporters, it might just be even more special than Saints’ success. As he prepared for the clash with Gers, the Hearts No.1 said: “It was a special time for me – but it was peak Covid.

“I wouldn’t say it was less enjoyable. But to not have anybody there at Hampden, friends or family, it was weird. There’s a tinge of sadness.

“When you see the stories on the news now, you think we could probably have had people there. That’s the toughest part. Thankfully, we’ve got the benefit of FaceTime. So I spoke to mum, dad and wife straight after the game in the changing room.

“I managed to savour those moments with them. Hopefully we can do the same with Hearts.”

St Johnstone were long shots with the bookies going into their League Cup semi almost three years ago against