The Scottish Football News Scorecard

Tag: scotland

  • Aussie Scots Secure World Cup Football

    Aussie Scots Secure World Cup Football

    Many players from the Scottish Premiership featured for their national sides over the last week or so, but it was the Australians that have something to celebrate as they secured qualification through a double header against the other two favourites to grasp qualification.

    Australia secured qualification for the 2026 North America World Cup this week with vital wins against both Saudi Arabia and Japan. Hibernian duo Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller played key roles in the fixtures, with the pair starting both fixtures.

    It was a quiet game for both against Japan, with Australia narrowly securing a 1-0 win with a 90th-minute goal. Miller was strong defensively but struggled to create much going forward before being replaced in the 68th minute. Likewise, Boyle struggled throughout the game and was also subbed off at halftime.

    Both players performed considerably better in the game against Saudi Arabia, playing crucial roles in securing a 2-1 win. Miller played on the right of a back three and was played more as an out-and-out defender. This seemed to suit him well, as he was able to win a majority of his duels while also showing good recovery pace. Boyle proved to be a substantial threat going forward, with the 32-year-old grabbing an assist when he set up Martin Duke with a cross.

    Many Australians have played in the Scottish leagues over the years; however, this window has already seen an influx, with Dundee United announcing the signing of Australian sharpshooter Zac Sapsford from Western Sydney Wanderers, along with Aberdeen completing the deals of Australians Nick Suman, Nicolas Milanovic, and Kusini Yengi.

    Hopefully, clubs continue to utilise the Australian market as they usually bring passion and flair to the league, all while coming in for an affordable price.

  • Liechtenstein vs Scotland Player Ratings

    Liechtenstein vs Scotland Player Ratings

    Scotland breezed past Liechtenstein to secure a 4-0 much-needed international win. Here, we will highlight the key players who contributed to our victory as well as those who could have provided more.

    Ross Doohan – 7

    Doohan was able to keep a clean sheet on his international debut; however, Liechtenstein never tested him, and other than collecting a few over-hit balls, he had nothing to do for most of the game.

    Anthony Ralston – 6

    Ralston was solid defensively, making no mistakes all game; however, he was somewhat lacking in an attacking sense, with him being anonymous in the final third.

    Jack Hendry -7

    Hendry made his first appearance since Scotland’s lacklustre Euros campaign. He was once again sure at the back, dealing easily with any challenge from Liechtenstein.

    Scott McKenna – 7

    McKenna did everything that was asked of him with no fuss and looked calm and composed on the ball. He could be staking a significant claim to start in the World Cup qualifiers.

    Andy Robertson – 6

    Robertson, like the others, was solid defensively and dealt with the opposition easily. Picked up the ball in some attacking areas but was pretty ineffective on the whole. Seemed fatigued after a long season.

    John McGinn – 6

    McGinn, like Robertson, looked tired after a long Premier League campaign and offered very little going forward. Was able to hold the ball well but his performance lacked energy.

    Billy Gilmour- 6

    Gilmour adopted more of a holding role and passed the ball with ease, but maybe didn’t have the amount of influence on the game that you would’ve expected or wanted from the league winner.

    Lennon Miller – 8

    An excellent performance from the youngster. He was fast and precise while other players seemed to walk through the game. He took his opportunity well and got a deserved assist for his efforts.

    Lewis Ferguson – 6

    Ferguson had a quiet game, not really making the opportunities you would’ve hoped he would against such poor opposition.

    George Hirst – 7

    Hirst managed to secure his first international goal and made some good attacking runs, but was unfortunate to be caught offside a couple of times.

    Che Adams – 9

    Adams had his best game in a Scotland shirt. He secured a perfect hat-trick and got the first Scotland hat-trick since John McGinn in 2019. He was also instrumental in getting the flick on to provide for Hirst’s goal.

    Josh Doig – 6

    Will be glad to make his international debut. He came on in the 59th minute for Andy Robertson and was solid defensively, while also creating a few moments in attack, but he was largely anonymous.

    Andy Irving – 6

    Will also be glad to have secured his first international appearance after replacing John McGinn. Similar to most midfielders, he struggled to create any real opportunities but retained the ball well and rarely lost it.

    Nathan Patterson – 6

    Replaced Anthony Ralston in the 71st minute. Came on to make his return to the national team after a long spell out through injury. Struggled to meet the pace of the game and lost a couple of duels, but reacted well.

    Tommy Conway – 7

    Came on for Lewis Ferguson in the 71st minute and proved to be a willing runner, making many runs, and was able to grab an assist with a cross ball into the box to give Che Adams his hat-trick in the 92nd minute.

    Overall, a solid win against Liechtenstein, but it was more a case of Liechtenstein playing poorly, rather than Scotland playing well, despite having a lot of creative players who failed to have the desired effect on the pitch.

  • Liechtenstein vs Scotland Reaction

    Liechtenstein vs Scotland Reaction

    Scotland eased past Liechtenstein to secure a much-needed win in a dominant display. Scotland took the early lead with a strike from Che Adams just 4 minutes into the game when a blocked shot from Lennon Miller fell to Adams in the box, allowing the striker to put his laces through it and claim his first international goal in over a year.

    Scotland’s second goal came from an excellent piece of closing down by Lennon Miller, following a poor pass by the Liechtenstein goalkeeper into danger, which put his team under pressure. The young Scot is able to turn the ball over with ease to lay off the ball for Che Adams to slot in his second of the game in the 26th minute.

    Half time saw no changes for Scotland and a surprise goalkeeper substitution for Liechtenstein when Benjamin Büchel made way for Justin Ospelt.

    The third goal came in the form of a first international goal for George Hurst in the 48th minute when he showed excellent striker’s instincts and gambled at the back post following a superb flick on by Che Adams at the front post.

    Second-half substitutions saw the introduction of Andy Irving and Josh Doig in the 59th minute, with both making their international debuts. These changes were then followed by Nathan Patterson and Tommy Conway coming on in the 68th minute, and then finally Connor Barron and Kieron Bowie also made their international debuts when they came off the bench in the 78th minute.

    Che Adams was able to complete a perfect hat-trick with his header in the last kicks of the game following an excellent cross from Tommy Conway. This goal secured Scotland’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein.

    Che Adams’ hat-trick is the first Scotland hat-trick since John McGinn in 2019 against San Marino. The overall performance was much improved from our previous game against Iceland, with Lennon Miller and Che Adams being the two standout performers. The level of the opposition does have to be put into account, as Liechtenstein’s performance seemed to warrant their 205th place in the rankings.

  • Liechtenstein vs Scotland Preview

    Liechtenstein vs Scotland Preview

    Scotland takes on Liechtenstein in a friendly tonight that could potentially have a significant impact on Steve Clarke’s future as Scotland manager. After a disappointing performance against Iceland, Steve Clark has faced pressure from many fans, who believe his style of play is too negative to take Scotland forward.

    Clark has previously acknowledged that this upcoming World Cup campaign will most likely be his last. Still, if he were to come away with anything but a win against Liechtenstein, he may struggle to retain his position, especially with the likes of Ange Postecoglou being available after his recent departure from Tottenham, following poor league form. However, Postecoglou did succeed in winning the Europa League, bringing a trophy to Tottenham for the first time in 17 years.

    Liechtenstein is currently ranked 205th in the world rankings, with only five teams ranked below them, and having recently lost 3-1 to bottom-ranked San Marino in the last Nations League campaign. Liechtenstein’s previous match was an away game against Wales in World Cup qualifiers, where the home team ran out 3-0 winners, with Liechtenstein managing 0 attempts and having a possession of just 21%.

    Scotland will aim to make up for the lacklustre performance on Friday. The current goalie crisis will not be a significant feature of this game, as previously seen, Liechtenstein have very little to offer going forward. Scotland should make a statement tonight and shape up ruthlessly. While saying that, it would be great to see some younger players, such as Lennon Miller and Kerion Bowie, get an opportunity to stake a claim in the starting team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Especially in the case of Bowie, as the striker position is definitely up for grabs, with none of the candidates providing a consistent threat.

    This match is the last friendly before the World Cup qualifiers, and it is vital that Scotland trial any new shapes and personnel now before what looks to be a difficult set of fixtures. This marks the last real chance for the young players to break through, and Clark should grant them the opportunity to do so.

  • Scotland Suffers Injury Crisis in the Goalkeeping Department

    Scotland Suffers Injury Crisis in the Goalkeeping Department

    It has been well known that Scotland has been lacking a wealth of solid Goalkeeping options over the last few years, but the problems reached a head on Friday when second-choice goalkeeper Robby McCrorie suffered an injury in the warm-up before the match against Iceland. The woes continued when the first-choice keeper, Angus Gunn, was forced off in just the 7th minute, leaving the 3rd-choice goalkeeper Cieran Slicker to step in and make his international debut. However, it was not a debut to remember for Slicker as he struggled throughout the game, most notably, he was at serious fault for Iceland’s first goal just a minute after he came on when he gave the ball away too easily when playing out from the back which resulted in him being completely out of position. The Icelandic striker simply curled the ball around Slicker into the goal to give the visitors the advantage.

    Slicker is not the answer to Scotland’s goalkeeper crisis. The 22-year-old should’ve never been in that position, having only made one 9-minute appearance this season and only recording a total of 6 professional appearances in his whole career. With Liam Kelly, Zander Clark and Craig Gordon being left out over injury concerns, who does this leave to fill the void in the squad for the upcoming game on Monday?

    Steve Clark has chosen to call up two uncapped players in an attempt to plug the holes. The first and probably favourite to play on Monday is Scottish Cup winner and soon-to-be Celtic player Ross Doohan.

    Doohan has primarily played as the Aberdeen backup this season, filling in for the injured Mitov on 18 occasions. He has been impressive in spells and has been solid when called upon by Aberdeen. His highlights include a penalty save in the last minute against Hearts to secure his team a point in a 0-0 draw, as well as an impressive performance in a 3-0 loss to Rangers, where he managed an impressive 8 saves. Doohan has agreed to join Celtic following the conclusion of his Aberdeen contract this season.

    The second call-up has been that of 18-year-old Callan McKenna. Steve Clark has stated that the Scottish Under-21s goalkeeper has been training with the first team, making him an obvious option to fill in for the injured first-teamers. McKenna is currently a youth player for English Premier League side Bournemouth, but has yet to make any first-team appearances for them. He has only managed 9 appearances in his entire career, all of which came during a spell at Queen’s Park during the 2023/2024 season before he made the switch down south for a fee of approximately £300,000.