Seb Pocognoli’s November Scotland Men’s National Team (SMNT) squad will be announced on Tuesday. In the first of our series of pre-squad announcement articles, we cast the net far & wide exploring current & potential Scotland goalkeepers to assess who is likeliest for a call up. Troublingly for Scotland fans, the extensive list below highlights the current lack of strength in depth among men’s Scotland goalkeepers. Stats are as at date of article publication.
Vincent Angelini
| Age | 23 (12.09.2003) |
| Current club | Galway United |
| Club division | Rep. of Ireland 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 69.8 (79th globally) |
| Current status at club | 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
The once highly rated Celtic youngster is yet to seal first team football since signing for clubs in England, Norway & now Ireland. Previously he was selected for Scotland U21 squads. He is the grandson of Scotland 1974 World Cup internationalist, Davie Hay.
Angelini is among the Scottish goalkeepers we profile who are still to play any competitive first team football this season. 25-year-old Portuguese, Hugo Cunha, has been Galway’s perennial first choice GK since his July promotion to Galway #1.
Latest update
There is no change for the first of the prospective Scotland goalkeepers in this list.
Jordan Archer
| Age | 33 (12.04.1993) |
| Current club | Unattached |
| Club division | N/A |
| Club division Opta rating | N/A |
| Current status at club | Not playing |
| SMNT caps | 1 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
The one cap ex-Scotland internationalist, was released by Portsmouth in the Summer after 2 years there as a backup. Pompey boss, John Mousinho, described Archer as “brilliant, amazing around the place”. However, we can find no evidence that the ex-Motherwell GK has as yet signed for another club.
Latest update
No change. Archer was reported on 4th October as unemployed since leaving Portsmouth in the Summer.
Scott Bain
| Age | 34 (22.11.1991) |
| Current club | Falkirk |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 1st team regular |
| SMNT caps | 4 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | Yes |
Previous update
He remains Falkirk first choice GK & continues to enjoy a good season.
Latest update
Bain continues to be Falkirk first choice this season, playing as recently as Wednesday evening. His stats indicate he is having a solid season at Falkirk. He is one of only a handful of Scotland goalkeepers currently playing in an Opta top 75 ranked division.
Chris Brady
| Age | 22 (03.03.2004) |
| Current club | Chicago Fire |
| Club division | USA 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 79.6 (17th globally) |
| Current status at club | 1st team regular |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
Brady played at the weekend in the 1-0 defeat at New England Revolution. That 1-0 loss though was enough for Brady & his team mates to qualify for the MLS end of season playoffs.
However, as per our debunk article, Brady has never expressed any interest in joining the ranks of Scotland goalkeepers. Brady has played in 2 friendlies for USA. However, he retains Scotland eligibility until he plays for USA in a competitive fixture.
Latest update
He remains first choice at his club, playing as recently as midweek. USA have home & away Nations League games scheduled in November against Haiti. Brady playing in either of those games will immediately end his international multi-eligibility.
Zander Clark
| Age | 34 (26.06.1992) |
| Current club | Heart of Midlothian |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 3rd choice |
| SMNT caps | 4 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
The 4 cap ex-internationalist has yet to play first team football, since returning from loan at Rotherham back to Hearts in the Summer. 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.
Latest update
Clark remains 3rd choice at Hearts behind first choice Beau Reus & 2nd choice Ryan Fulton. However, Clark was named in Hearts’ 2 UEFA Conference League match day squad earlier this month, as was Reus & Fulton. Clark hasn’t been named in a Hearts domestic first team squad since 1st August v Aberdeen. He remains one of the Scotland goalkeepers yet to play first team football this season.
Ross Doohan
| Age | 28 (29.03.1998) |
| Current club | Celtic |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 3rd choice |
| SMNT caps | 1 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
Doohan has one full Scotland cap. And with Sam Johnstone recently joining Celtic, Doohan has dropped back down the pecking order to again be Celtic #3.
Latest update
Doohan’s only appearance in a match day squad since the end of August was on 18 September in the Europa League home game v Ferencvaros. Viljami Sinisalo started that game with Johnstone on the bench with Doohan. Doohan however did not make the match day squad for either of the 2 Celtic Europa League games this month. He remains another of the Scotland goalkeepers yet to play first team football this season.
Ryan Fulton
| Age | 30 (23.05.1996) |
| Current club | Heart of Midlothian |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
The ex-U21 internationalist is currently #2 at Hearts. Namely, he is behind Beau Reus & ahead of Zander Clark in the pecking order.
Latest update
No change. Reus is consistently chosen as first choice at Hearts since Alexander Schwolow transferred back to Germany. Fulton is one of many GKs in this list not to play any competitive first team football so far this season.
Angus Gunn
| Age | 30 (22.01.1996) |
| Current club | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Club division | USA 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 79.6 (17th globally) |
| Current status at club | First choice again |
| SMNT caps | 29 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | Yes |
Previous update
Gunn didn’t feature in the Quakes’ match day squad v Colorado Rapids on the first weekend after the international break. However, he played the full 90 mins in both Quakes’ games since then. Both ended 1-1, at Real Salt Lake & then at home to Nashville. Like Brady, Gunn’s club have qualified for the MLS end of season playoffs.
Latest update
Gunn has retained his place in the Quakes starting line up after missing their first game after the international break. Like Brady, there is currently no SMNT eligible GK player in a higher Opta ranked division than Angus Gunn. Gunn goes into the next international break as the only currently playing Scotland goalkeeper with more than 4 SMNT caps.
Nicky Hogarth
| Age | 25 (04.07.2001) |
| Current club | Falkirk |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
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.
Latest update
No change. Hogarth continues to understudy Bain & has not played first team football since the League Cup win v Stranraer in July.
Liam Kelly
| Age | 30 (23.01.1996) |
| Current club | Rangers |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 3 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | Yes |
Previous update
Kelly was another of the 3 squad selected Scotland goalkeepers who didn’t play in any of the 4 internationals during that break just ended. Like Bain, Kelly was benched for all 4 Scotland games in that international break.
Further, Kelly unsurprisingly was again on the Rangers bench at the weekend. Ivor Pandur’s stats are very solid for Derek McInnes’ clicking into gear Rangers machine. Hence, there seems no current prospect of anything other than a Pandur injury giving Kelly any sort of Rangers first team football. However, the exception to that may be domestic cup football. That suggestion is because of the 3 Rangers cup games that Kelly played last season, all against lower league opponents.
It says much of the available Scotland goalkeepers that someone playing such infrequent first team club football, is a regular on the SMNT bench.
Latest update
No change. Kelly remains glued to the Rangers bench & is yet another of the Scotland goalkeepers yet to play competitive first team football this season.
Ross Laidlaw
| Age | 34 (12.07.1992) |
| Current club | Unattached |
| Club division | N/A |
| Club division Opta rating | N/A |
| Current status at club | Not playing |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
In 2023, then Scotland assistant boss, John Carver, stated Ross County’s Laidlaw was under consideration for a Scotland call up. However, County released Laidlaw in the Summer just past. He was reported in the Summer as progressing with coaching badges. He has since played for a club at no higher a level than with Highland League Strathspey Thistle. However, he has not played for them since August.
The Press & Journal earlier this month published an interview with Laidlaw, stating Laidlaw’s wife Claire accepted an initial 2 year teaching post at Hartland International School in Dubai. Laidlaw commented of his life in UAE:
“I had a few options to come here and play part-time, but there are different rules where, in the Pro League and League One, clubs are not allowed to sign a foreign goalkeeper. Those are the top two divisions.”
Latest update
No change. Laidlaw remains listed as a coach on the Elite Sports website. Unless there is an unexpected change in Laidlaw’s situation, this is potentially the last time fitba.scot will track him for further iterations of this list.
Sam Long
| Age | 23 (12.11.2002) |
| Current club | Salford City |
| Club division | English 4th tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 68.7 (90th globally) |
| Current status at club | 3rd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
The ex-Scotland U21 squad member transferred from Bromley in the Summer. Long hasn’t been a first team regular since his 2024 half season loan at Falkirk.
Long was #2 for Salford’s first 6 games of the season. However, in the 7 Salford games since then he has only made the match day squad for the 2 Football Trophy games in that 7 game sequence. He was on the bench in both those 2 games.
Latest update
Long has not made the match day squad for any of the 3 Salford games since our previous update.
Jon McCracken
| Age | 26 (24.05.2000) |
| Current club | Bradford City |
| Club division | English 3rd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 74.6 (45th globally) |
| Current status at club | 1st team regular |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | Yes |
Previous update
Such has been McCracken’s impressive stats since transferring to Bradford City in the Summer, we published this article 11 days ago on 19th October focusing specifically on McCracken. At the time of that article McCracken had 9 clean sheets from his 12 Bradford games so far.
Latest update
Things continue to go well for McCracken. McCracken has not conceded a goal in any of his last 7 games meaning he now has 12 clean sheets from his 15 Bradford City appearances. Bradford are currently 4th in England’s 3rd tier with only 5 league goals conceded all season, one of which was when McCracken was away on international duty with Scotland. Further, Bradford are scheduled to play Manchester City away in the League Cup quarter finals in December.
Despite McCracken’s excellent club form, there is an international irony. Namely, he was the only one of the 4 squad selected Scotland goalkeepers who didn’t make the match day squad, in any of the 4 games in the most recent international break. It says much that Pocognoli preferred Kelly for those 4 match day squads to McCracken, despite Kelly’s persistent lack of first team action at club level. If only 3 GKs are announced for the 2 game break, is McCracken’s squad place at risk?
Robby McCrorie
| Age | 28 (18.03.1998) |
| Current club | Varaždin |
| Club division | Croatian 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 78.7 (23rd globally) |
| Current status at club | Injured 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
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.
McCrorie at the weekend lost his place on the bench due to injury. His place as 2nd choice GK instead went to 17-year-old Rino Grubisic.
Latest update
McCrorie missed only one game before resuming his place as #2 at Varaždin who currently sit 3rd in the Croat top tier.
Further, he was his side’s hero making his first team debut in Croatia a couple of days ago. Specifically, he played the entire 120 mins in the cup eliminating Lokomotiva Zagreb. McCrorie conceded a 1-1 equaliser with dramatically only 15 secs left of extra time. McCrorie then saved 2 of the 6 penalties he faced in the shoot out & was mobbed by team mates at the end.
Lokomotiva are coached by ex-Rangers forward, Nikica Jelavić.
Craig MacGillivray
| Age | 33 (12.01.1993) |
| Current club | Milton Keynes Dons |
| Club division | English 3rd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 74.6 (45th globally) |
| Current status at club | 3rd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
MacGillivray started the season continuing from last season as the first choice Dons GK. However, MacGillivray was benched for 2 games in late September. 26-year-old Will Dennis has instead been first choice GK.
In the 3 MK Dons games since then, MacGillivray hasn’t even made the match day squad. His place as backup to Dennis has instead gone to 20-year-old Seb Stacey. The Dons are currently 23rd in their 24 team division. They are winless in the league this season with only 6 draws to show from their 8 league games.
Latest update
No change re MacGillivray’s status in that he continues to be omitted from the Dons’ match day squads. However, the Dons have won 3 of the 4 games since our previous update & thus have moved up to 14th in the table.
Ed McGinty
| Age | 27 (05.08.1999) |
| Current club | Shamrock Rovers |
| Club division | Rep. of Ireland 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 69.8 (79th globally) |
| Current status at club | First team regular |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent 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.
In the weekend immediately after the recent international break, McGinty was one of only 4 Scotland eligible GKs we could find playing in any of the Opta top 100 ranked divisions globally. Further, one of the 4 was Brady who appears to have no interest in representing Scotland.
Latest update
McGinty continues to be first choice for his club in Dublin. The wider situation for Scotland GKs has improved since the previous update, with the return to action of Gunn & one of the GKs listed below.
The League of Ireland league season ends this weekend. Rovers are 5 points clear at the top with one game remaining. Hence, McGinty will collect a league winner’s medal from both of his seasons so far at Shamrock Rovers.
Callan McKenna
| Age | 19 (22.12.2006) |
| Current club | Bournemouth |
| Club division | English 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 92.5 (1st globally) |
| Current status at club | Not playing |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
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. Latest U21 squad members such as Liam McFarlane & Rory Mahady currently have better visibility than McKenna.
Latest update
McKenna continues to have no more recent a mention than November 2025 on stats sites, suggesting likely long term injury or illness. If that is indeed the case, get well soon Callan.
Jon McLaughlin
| Age | 39 (09.09.1987) |
| Current club | Middlesbrough |
| Club division | English 2nd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 81.0 (10th globally) |
| Current status at club | 3rd choice |
| SMNT caps | 2 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
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.
Latest update
No change.
Ross Sinclair
| Age | 25 (07.05.2001) |
| Current club | St Johnstone |
| Club division | Scots 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 75.1 (38th globally) |
| Current status at club | 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
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.
Latest update
No change.
Cieran Slicker
| Age | 24 (15.09.2002) |
| Current club | Barnsley (on loan from Ipswich Town) |
| Club division | English 3rd tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 74.6 (45th globally) |
| Current status at club | First choice |
| SMNT caps | 1 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Ipswich loaned Slicker to Barnet in England’s 4th tier last season. Slicker’s Barnet form was sufficient to earn him a loan this season to Barnsley, one division higher in the English 3rd tier. However, his career paused this season due to injury.
Slicker made the Barnsley first team squad for the first time on Saturday. Next, he made his Barnsley debut yesterday evening losing 2-1 at Luton Town. MK Dons dropping Craig McGillivray earlier this season means there are 2 aspiring Scotland goalkeepers currently playing in this division. In contrast to McCracken chasing promotion with Bradford, Slicker & Barnsley are in a relegation battle, 22nd in their 24 team division.
Latest update
Slicker played his 2nd Barnsley game last weekend indicating that for the moment at least he is their #1. Both of his Barnsley games so far ended as 2-1 away defeats. FotMob rate his performance there so far at 6.81. It would be a major surprise if those 2 performances were to be enough to earn a Scotland recall at this stage. These stats below say much of the poverty of current eligible options for Scotland goalkeepers:
- 5 currently play in the Opta top 75 ranked divisions globally
- If including Ed McGinty, 6 currently play in the Opta top 100 ranked divisions globally
Slicker’s return to first team action is thus welcome. The more Scotland eligible GKs playing first team football the better. All the more so considering that in a couple of weeks time, Chris Brady may no longer be eligible as a potential Scotland goalkeeper, thus reducing the eligible pool even further.
Barnsley remain deep in trouble, 23rd in a 24 team division.
Jason Steele
| Age | 36 (18.08.1990) |
| Current club | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Club division | English 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 92.5 (1st globally) |
| Current status at club | 2nd choice |
| SMNT caps | 0 |
| In most recent Scotland squad? | No |
Previous update
Press reports in 2023 indicated Steele declined when sounded out about representing Scotland. Subsequently, Tam Tuchel called him up for the expanded 35 man England squad in March this year, & then 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 in September. 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.
Steele was on the bench in all 4 England games in the recent international break. However & similar to Brady, Steele technically retains Scotland eligibility until he plays for another nation in a competitive game. However & like Brady, don’t hold your breath for the prospect of Steele switching to join the ranks of Scotland goalkeepers.
Latest update
No change. Steele’s only first team football since the previous update was when he played in the League Cup earlier this week when losing on penalties to Manchester City. There remains no expectation of Steele switching allegiance. He is thus on this list only for completeness.
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