Gardner's switch of club to Clydesdale in 1874 lost him the Scottish captaincy when the Queen's Park players refused to be captained by a player from another club. He still kept goal for Scotland against England for the following two years, with a 2–1 win and a 2–2 draw. Gardner kept goal and captained Clydesdale in the first Scottish cup final in 1874, playing against Queen's Park. Although his side lost 2–0, contemporary accounts of the match home in on Gardner's magnificent display of goalkeeping against his old club.