Calls for Ross Laidlaw to be given international recognition have amplified following his recent performances for Ross County.
Laidlaw played a key role in the Staggies’ 1-0 victory at Livingston on Saturday, which ended a run of six games without a win.
His most impressive moment came midway through the second half, when he somehow kept out Livi defender Ayo Obileye’s effort from point-blank range at a stage when the game was still goalless.
It was not the first time Laidlaw had caught the eye this season, which prompted manager Malky Mackay to hint his performances were doing his prospects of a maiden Scotland call-up no harm whatsoever.
Following the match, Mackay said: “Ross has been absolutely terrific. I’m going back since January when he got back in the team.
“In the second half of the season, he was magnificent. And he has been excellent in this first part of this season.
“I know we are always looking for goalkeepers in this country – we have a terrific big Scot that’s up in the Highlands who is consistently playing well in the Premiership.”
County number one has made impressive impact in face of most shots in league
Laidlaw is enjoying a prolonged spell between the sticks, having retained the number one jersey since winning his place back in January.
At that stage, Laidlaw stepped in for injured loanee Ashley Maynard-Brewer, who had displaced him for much of the campaign.
It was not the first time Laidlaw had faced a battle for the gloves since moving to Dingwall in 2019.
At other stages of his County career, Laidlaw has been kept out of the side by the likes of Nathan Baxter and Ross Doohan.
He overcame those challenges to win his place back, before being rewarded with a double player of the year triumph at the end of the 2020-21 season, along with a new two-year contract.
After replacing Maynard-Brewer last season, Laidlaw went on to play a major role in County’s fine end-of-season form, which resulted in a top-six finish.
An improved defensive record was key to that, with the Staggies keeping four clean sheets from the 14 matches which Laidlaw played from February onwards.
The loan arrival of Jake Eastwood this season has provided Laidlaw with fresh competition, but the 30-year-old has risen to it and retained his place so far.
His shut-out return has continued in a similar vein, with three from his opening 10 matches of the campaign.
That is just two short of Laidlaw’s clean sheet tally from the 20 league matches he played last season.
Although Laidlaw has conceded more goals (18) than any other Premiership goalkeeper, he is also among just three to have played 900 minutes so far – along with St Johnstone’s Remi Matthews and Motherwell’s Liam Kelly.
The table above shows he has been the busiest goalkeeper in the league so far by a significant margin, having faced 51 shots on target.
He has also completed the most saves (33), with a very respectable save percentage of 64.7%.
Current Scotland goalkeeping situation could help Laidlaw’s chances
In the context of the national team picture, Laidlaw is among only five eligible Scots featured in the table above.
Craig Gordon is the Scots’ undisputed first choice, however, at the age of 39, there is no clear succession plan in place.
Nor is there an obvious readymade replacement in the event of the Hearts goalkeeper suffering an injury.
Allan McGregor and David Marshall have both retired from the international scene, having both previously served as the Scottish first choice.
Jon McLaughlin and Robbie McCrorie of Rangers have both been involved in recent squads, as has Hearts’ Zander Clark, however, none are currently getting any game time at club level.
Of the Scottish-based goalkeepers, the most comparable candidate to Laidlaw is Well’s Kelly, who has been a regular in Steve Clarke’s squads, but has yet to win his first cap.
The calls for Laidlaw to be included in the squad are not with a view to him being in possession of the gloves when Scotland begin the EURO 2024 qualifying campaign next year.
There is, however, an important role for the two understudies to play during the international camp, in order to keep the first choice on his toes.
It seems logical the three goalkeeping slots should be occupied by players who are at the top of their game, rather than approaching the international break fresh from warming their club’s bench.
If Laidlaw’s fine form continues, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be in the conversation.
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