Cove Rangers defender Max Johnston is pleased his performances have been rewarded with a Scotland under-21s call-up.
Johnston will join up with Scot Gemmill’s side this week for their friendly against Iceland, as a late replacement for ex-Aberdeen man Calvin Ramsay following his promotion to the senior side.
By sheer coincidence, the game will take place at Fir Park, the home ground of Johnston’s parent club Motherwell.
It continues the impressive recent run for the teenage full-back, who spoke last week of his desire to force himself into the ‘Well first-team with his form at Cove.
“I’m delighted with it and really looking forward to it,” said Johnston.
“It’s a great honour and hopefully I can get some minutes on Thursday and do well.
“When you see the squad come out you have that wee bit of hope you’re in it. I wasn’t in the original squad but luckily I’ve been gifted the chance to go away.
“I was with the under-16s once and I went away with the under-19s at the start of the year. It’s a different experience – I’m really lucky to be playing here, in the Championship week in week out, so it’s all about good experiences.
“The under-21s is a strong squad so hopefully I can do well. I’ve not spoken to Scot yet but I was speaking to (Motherwell manager) Steven Hammell on Friday and he was really happy for me.”
It will be a quick turnaround this week for Johnston, with the under-21s playing on Thursday night and Cove taking on Morton at the Balmoral Stadium on Saturday.
The Aberdeen side dug in late on to take a point against Arbroath on Saturday, keeping some breathing space between the two clubs.
“It was really important we got a point,” said Johnston. “It’s always going to be an ugly game when you come here.
“The pitch was heavy, the sun was low and the way Arbroath play, they’re really direct. We’re lucky to get a point but we should have had two definite penalties.
“We’ve got a good run of home games coming up and we have a good record at home, so we just need to keep that going.”