- Conway promoted from the Under-21s after Doak joined Lyndon Dykes on the injured list
- The Bristol City striker scored 12 goals in 43 Championship games last season
- The loss of Doak will hit the Scots hard, and Anfield talent is likely to have an impact.
- Clarke will confirm the call-up of 26 players for Germany after Friday’s game against Finland
STEVE CLARKE called up Scotland Under-21 striker Tommy Conway to his Euro 2024 squad last night after Liverpool’s Ben Doak became the latest addition to a long list of casualties.
Lyndon Dykes was ruled out of a trip to Germany with a training ground injury last week, and 18-year-old Doak was forced to withdraw after missing the dull 2-0 win over minnows Gibraltar in the Algarve on Monday.
With no options in attack, Clarke moved quickly to call up Bristol City striker Conway after he scored in Scotland Under-21s’ 2-1 defeat to Turkey in Istanbul.
The 21-year-old has scored 12 goals in 43 appearances for Bristol City this season and will now compete for his senior debut against Finland in the final warm-up match at Hampden on Friday night.
Clarke, already missing Lewis Ferguson and starting right-backs Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson, felt his team showed signs of apprehension in the victory over Gibraltar, a nation ranked 203rd in the world. Although second-half goals from Ryan Christie and Che Adams secured victory ahead of the finals opener against Germany in Munich, Clarke acknowledged the waste.
“Don’t forget that these players are nervous,” said the Scottish coach. “Next week the most important tournament in the country will take place. All of them already have half their minds on Germany.
Conway flew the Scottish flag after landing at Edinburgh Airport last night
Conway celebrates after scoring for Scotland U21s in defeat in Istanbul
Ben Doak traveled to Faro but the Euro Cup will come too soon after a season interrupted by injury
‘It sounds terrible to say that, but that’s the way it is. It’s natural.
‘People won’t think about that. But until you’re actually on the plane and on your way to Germany, you always have a doubt in the back of your mind.
What happened with Lyndon at training camp the other day probably scared them a little too. You have to understand. They are human, they have emotions like everyone else.
“They want to get on the plane for the Euros and take part in what will be a fantastic tournament, so you have to take that into account.”
Having given coaches permission to increase squad size from 23 to 26, UEFA is demanding the final list two hours after the final whistle of Scotland’s final warm-up match against Finland.
“To be honest, it’s quite complicated because you can put the team in at midnight on Friday,” Clarke said. “You could tell someone on Thursday that they’re not going and then we’ll get hurt on Friday and you’ll have to hug them and say, ‘I love you, you’re going.’ It’s weird that they make us do it like that. But we’ll find a way.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke wasted no time giving Conway the nod for Euro 2024.
Lyndon Dykes saw his Euro 2024 dream end after a ‘freak’ injury on the training ground last week
A somber-looking Doak (second right) watched from the stands as Scotland beat Gibraltar.
“I will speak to the affected players who will not be in the 26 before Friday’s game.”
The SFA has sold more than 40,000 tickets for Finland’s visit.
Probably a very different affair to the low-key match in front of 2,000 fans against a limited Gibraltar team, Clarke hopes to use the match as a grand send-off for his players before they travel to Germany on Sunday.
He said: “That’s what we’re looking for, a good performance at home in front of our fans to give them that little boost before we go to the tournament.” “That’s what we intend to do on Friday.”
Despite 24 attempts on goal against the minnows, Scotland managed just five attempts on goal in Faro and Conway’s addition to the squad will add depth to an area of the squad that is causing growing concern.
Conway celebrates goal that knocked West Ham out of the FA Cup in January
“I think it comes down to confidence a little bit,” Clarke said. “Shanks (Lawrence Shankland) didn’t really have clear opportunities where you think, ‘Come on, he’s coming.'”
“Maybe it’s something we need to look at: his positioning, especially on set pieces, where maybe he was too far from the center of the goal.”