Simon Donnelly, the Celtic striker, emerged yesterday as the player most likely to break into Craig Brown's Scotland team for the decisive World Cup qualifier against Latvia on Saturday week.
Brown, who named a 23-man squad, nominated 22-year-old Donnelly as a sound reason for changing the side who beat Belarus 4-1 in their last match, leaving themselves in need of victory over Latvia to qualify automatically for next year's finals in France.
"I've been an admirer of Simon's since he was in the youth team with us," said the national coach. "I always thought he would be a serious contender if we reached the finals in '98. But his recent form has made us think very seriously about picking him for this last qualifier. "He has quick feet and a lively mind, is good in the air for his height and he makes very intelligent runs. The only thing against Simon at the moment is lack of practice playing alongside Kevin Gallacher, who is our first-choice striker."
As expected, the Blackburn defender Colin Hendry returns to the squad after missing the Belarus match because of injury. A pillar of Brown's defence throughout the last two major championships - Euro '96 and the present campaign - Hendry will go back into the team unopposed as long as he remains fit.
Duncan Ferguson, the Everton striker who wrote to the SFA insisting that he should not be considered for internationals from now on, prompted a rather disdainful comment from Brown when the latter was asked what he thought of a 25-year-old opting out of an international career on the brink of World Cup finals qualification.
"I've been four years in this job," said Brown, "and, during that time, Duncan Ferguson has played three times. Yet he gets more mileage out of the media than players who turn up regularly and make a contribution. "I don't want to get involved in what he or his club are thinking. I would rather talk about the players who are in the squad and who will be at Celtic Park a week on Saturday working to get us to France."
Ferguson hardly needed to ask the SFA to be excused. He had already been dismissed as unreliable by the man who picks the squads.
Scotland (squad to face Latvia on October 11th at Celtic Park, Glasgow): Goram (Rangers), Leighton (Aberdeen), Sullivan (Wimbledon), Boyd (Celtic), Calderwood (Spurs), Dailly (Derby), Hendry (Blackburn), B McAllister (Wimbledon), T McKinlay (Celtic), G McNamara (Celtic), Weir (Hearts), Gemmill (Nottm Forest), G McAllister (Coventry), P Lambert (Borussia Dortmund), Burley (Celtic), Collins (Monaco), Gallacher (Blackburn), Hopkin (Leeds), W McKinlay (Blackburn), Dodds (Aberdeen), Donnelly (Celtic), Durie (Rangers), McCoist (Rangers).
