Craig Gordon might have happily lost his shirt in the literal sense almost immediately after his comeback game in the Scottish Cup against Spartans on Saturday.

But the Hearts goalkeeper, who gave his top to opposite man Blair Carswell after the last-gasp victory, is determined to hold onto the No 1 position after a confident return following 13 months out with a broken leg. He won’t have long to wait to discover whether he keeps his place or not. Hearts are back in action as soon as Tuesday against Dundee in a rearranged Premiership fixture at Tynecastle.

Many presume Zander Clark, fitness permitting, will be back in goal, since he has done little wrong to deserve demotion. It was easy to explain the switch against Spartans. It is not uncommon for teams to play a different goalkeeper in cup ties to ensure one is not completely lacking in competitive match fitness.

Craig Gordon made his return to the Hearts team against Spartans after nearly 13 months on the sidelines.

It looked like Gordon had never been away on Saturday. One save, in the first half from Callum Booth, was eye catching and while he’ll have busier afternoons, he dealt comfortably with most of what he was asked to do, including rushing out of his box at one stage to chest the ball down before setting up a Hearts attack with a well-placed kick. He was forgiven the one goal he did concede in the team's 2-1 win since it was a goal-of-the-season contender from James Craigen, who volleyed into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Gordon admitted there had been some butterflies. “Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “You do all the preparation but I don't think you ever know you will go out there and perform. I felt I did everything I possibly could, the preparation has been great and I had a good week's training after the break. I felt ready but you just never know. Going out there, there is always that tiny little bit of doubt. It's great to get over the first game, do well and try to put some pressure on that position.”

Manager Steven Naismith insists he can keep both goalkeepers happy though he has not expanded on this to reporters. Nor has he done so to the two men involved. What happens now? "I don't know,” said Gordon. “That's up to him (Naismith). All I can do is perform when given the opportunity. I did that on Saturday, I was happy with my contribution, now it's up to him.

"I'll try to play as many games as I possibly can between now and the end of the season. I've got a lot of competition there with Zander, who has been pretty good lately. It's up to us to put in the performances when called upon. If not, we know the other one is right there looking for that opportunity. It's a good battle. Me and Zander get on great. With it being the cup and the first game back, I thought there might be an opportunity to play. Now we know the fight is on, so to speak.”

Gordon was informed on Friday that he would play and create a bit of history in the process by becoming the first Hearts player to make a competitive appearance in their 40s. “I didn't play at all when I was 40, I just skipped straight to 41!” he said, with reference to his year out. “It's a good record, another one, so let's see if we can make it 42."

'Now the fight is on': Craig Gordon makes Hearts history and gives Steven Naismith food for thought