Before Seb Pocognoli announced his first squad last week, we analysed 11 Scottish goalkeepers for possible consideration. A sobering outcome of further looking at those 11, is only 4 currently play regularly in Opta’s top 75 ranked divisions globally. As if that wasn’t enough, one of those 11 wants to play for another nation & is best not described as Scottish. Below we cast the net far & wide to look at what happened to 21 GKs eligible for Scotland. And this is a reminder of the importance of the GKs in the current squad remaining fit.
1. Vincent Angelini
| Age | 23 |
| Current club | Galway United |
| Club division | Rep. of Ireland 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 69.7 (76th globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The once highly rated Celtic youngster is yet to seal first team football since signing for clubs in England, Norway & now Ireland.
2. Jordan Archer
| Age | 33 |
| Current club | Unattached |
| Club division | N/A |
| Club division Opta rating | N/A |
| Current playing status | Not playing |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The one cap ex-Scotland internationalist was released by Portsmouth in the Summer.
3. Scott Bain
| Age | 34 |
| Current club | Falkirk |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 1st team regular |
| In current Scotland squad? | Yes |
Bain missed out on the World Cup squad due to injury. He seemed in contention after playing solidly in his 45 mins v Côte d’Ivoire in March. Further, he is both fit again & first choice at Falkirk this season.
4. Chris Brady
| Age | 22 |
| Current club | Chicago Fire |
| Club division | USA 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 79.5 (19th globally) |
| Current playing status | 1st team regular |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
Brady is again in the latest USMNT squad. And as per our debunk article, despite press reports there is no evidence he is interested in representing Scotland. He currently plays in the highest Opta ranked division of any Scotland eligible GKs.
5. Zander Clark
| Age | 34 |
| Current club | Heart of Midlothian |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 3rd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The 4 cap ex-internationalist has yet to play first team football since returning from loan to Rotherham to Hearts this season. Specifically, Clark started the season as #2 at Hearts. However, he hasn’t made the match day squad since the Europa League trip to Benfica on 6 August.
6. Ross Doohan
| Age | 28 |
| Current club | Celtic |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 3rd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
Doohan has one full Scotland cap. And with Sam Johnstone recently joining Celtic, he has dropped back down the pecking order to again be Celtic #3.
7. Ryan Fulton
| Age | 30 |
| Current club | Heart of Midlothian |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The ex-U21 internationalist is currently #2 at Hearts. Namely, he is ahead of Zander Clark and behind Beau Reus.
8. Angus Gunn
| Age | 30 |
| Current club | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Club division | USA 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 79.5 (19th globally) |
| Current playing status | 1st team regular |
| In current Scotland squad? | Yes |
Scotland GK at the World Cup. He is also widely tipped to retain his place in the Scotland starting line up tomorrow in Ljubljana. Like Brady he currently plays in the highest Opta ranked division of any Scotland eligible GKs.
9. Nicky Hogarth
| Age | 25 |
| Current club | Falkirk |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
Hogarth played 5 times for Falkirk at the end of last season when Bain was injured. However, with Bain back to fitness, Hogarth has returned to the bench. Previously, Hogarth made it into Scotland U21 squads in 2022.
10. Liam Kelly
| Age | 30 |
| Current club | Rangers |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | Yes |
The 3 cap internationalist has retained his Scotland squad despite zero first team games this season & only 3 club first team games last season (all in cup games v lower league opposition). While that may seem odd, he is widely reported as being an amazing character & a tremendous influence on squad morale. Additionally, Pocognoli’s squad has 3 other GKs all of whom currently play regularly. Kelly is thus likely current 4th choice & in the squad as a training GK.
11. Ross Laidlaw
| Age | 34 |
| Current club | Strathspey Thistle |
| Club division | Scots 5th tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 29.7 (350th globally) |
| Current playing status | 1st team regular |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
In 2023, then Scotland assistant boss, Jon Carver, stated Ross County’s Laidlaw was under consideration for a Scotland call up. However, since then County have suffered 2 relegations. Consequently they now play in Scotland’s 3rd tier. Laidlaw in the Summer transferred from County to instead play in the Highland League.
12. Sam Long
| Age | 23 |
| Current club | Salford City |
| Club division | English 4th tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 68.6 (90th globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd/3rd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The ex-Scotland U21 squad member transferred from Bromley in the Summer. However, he is again #2 at his new club. Further, he didn’t even make the bench for Salford’s 2 most recent league games. He was though recalled to the bench on Tuesday for the Football Trophy, 2-1 home loss to Sheffield Wednesday. Long hasn’t been a first team regular since his 2024 half season loan at Falkirk.
13. Jon McCracken
| Age | 26 |
| Current club | Bradford City |
| Club division | English 3rd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 74.9 (42nd globally) |
| Current playing status | 1st team regular |
| In current Scotland squad? | Yes |
He impressively has 7 clean sheets from his 10 Bradford appearances so far, propelling them to currently sit top of the table. Consequently, McCracken is quickly becoming a fan favourite after moving to Bradford in the Summer. Further, such has been his commanding goalkeeping, some Bradford fans are concerned a higher division club will buy him in the January transfer window. Will Pocognoli give him a debut full cap in this international window?
14. Robby McCrorie
| Age | 28 |
| Current club | Varaždin |
| Club division | Croatian 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 78.6 (22nd globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The ex-U21 internationalist is already much travelled with a club history in Scotland, Denmark & now Croatia. He is yet to play competitive first team football since his Summer transfer to his new club.
15. Craig MacGillivray
| Age | 33 |
| Current club | Milton Keynes Dons |
| Club division | English 3rd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 74.9 (42nd globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
After impressing earning promotion last season to England’s 3rd tier, MacGillivray was justified hoping for a Scotland recall this term. However, his form this season has been inconsistent with e.g., FotMob ratings fluctuating between 5.4 & 8.9. Consequently, he has been benched for the Dons’ last 2 league games.
16. Ed McGinty
| Age | 27 |
| Current club | Shamrock Rovers |
| Club division | Rep. of Ireland 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 69.7 (76th globally) |
| Current playing status | First team regular |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The Oxford United website states McGinty, “was born in Scotland and played youth football for Celtic and Hibernian before moving to Ireland”. Transfermarkt lists him specifically as Motherwell born. He has played youth football for Republic of Ireland but has not played senior international football. Hence he retains multi-eligibility. He is thus a 5th Scots eligible GK currently playing regularly in the Opta top 100 ranked divisions globally. Hence he is included in this list for completeness.
17. Callan McKenna
| Age | 19 |
| Current club | Bournemouth |
| Club division | English 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 92.8 (1st globally) |
| Current playing status | Not playing |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
Many had high hopes for McKenna after his Queen’s Park performances earned him a move to Bournemouth. However, he hasn’t appeared on any stats sites we look at since November. Nor is McKenna in any of the Scotland age group squads named this month. Current U21 squad members such as Liam McFarlane & Rory Mahady currently have better visibility than McKenna.
18. Jon McLaughlin
| Age | 39 |
| Current club | Middlesbrough |
| Club division | English 2nd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 81.2 (10th globally) |
| Current playing status | 3rd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
The 2 cap ex-internationalist made the Boro bench for their opening league game on 7 August v Wrexham. He has not been in a match day squad since.
19. Ross Sinclair
| Age | 25 |
| Current club | St Johnstone |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.2 (38th globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
Sinclair played for St Mirren late last season in an emergency loan. He is a permanent fixture on the St Johnstone bench so far this season. Sinclair is an ex-u21 internationalist.
20. Cieran Slicker
| Age | 24 |
| Current club | Barnsley (on loan from Ipswich Town) |
| Club division | English 3rd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 74.9 (42nd globally) |
| Current playing status | Injured |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
One cap Slicker is yet to play for Barnsley since his loan there started in the Summer. He played regularly last season on loan at Barnet, a division below that of his current club.
21. Jason Steele
| Age | 36 |
| Current club | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Club division | English 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 92.8 (1st globally) |
| Current playing status | 2nd choice |
| In current Scotland squad? | No |
Steele isn’t the greatest GK in the traditional sense. He is though highly regarded with the ball at his feet. Press reports in 2023 indicated Steele declined when sounded out about representing Scotland. Tam Tuchel called him up for the expanded 35 man England squad in March & took him to the World Cup as a training GK. That was in addition to those in the official 26 player England squad.
Despite continuing to understudy Bart Verbruggen & featuring only in domestic cup games, Tuchel again called up Steele to his squad this month. That was to replace the injured Dean Henderson. There is zero apparent prospect of 36-year-old Steele switching to Scotland (no hard feelings Jason). He & Gunn are the only 2 GKs in this list with experience of playing in any of the world’s ‘big 5’ divisions. Ironically if Verbruggen injures & Steele plays in the EPL for the Brighton first team, Steele would play in easily the highest Opta ranked division of any current Scotland eligible GK.
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