Scotland ‘B’ goal hero George Boyd has expressed his concerns that the condition of the Broadwood pitch may have dented his chances of forcing his way into George Burley’s main international plans.
The Peterborough winger was a star turn on his debut in a Scotland jersey as the second string cruised to a 3-0 victory over Northern Ireland on Wednesday night, scoring a fantastic second goal and setting up Leigh Griffiths for the third.
But as horrendous weather conditions in Cumbernauld turned the playing surface into something resembling a swamp, Boyd feared that his best football may not have been on display.
“The weather could have been a bit better” admits the 23-year-old. "In the second half we couldn’t really play football without the ball getting stuck in the mud, and it didn’t help me dribble much, but we battled through it to get a good win.
“The manager said it was a great performance, especially in the conditions, so hopefully I’ve impressed him. Obviously I could have shown a bit more if the pitch was better, but I feel I coped alright.
“We had to cope with the conditions and I hope I did that.”
Much has been made in the past week of Burley’s decision to include the Englishman in his international plans, despite the forward only being eligible to play thanks to a Scottish grandfather.
But despite his somewhat loose connection to the country, Boyd confirmed that his team-mates made him feel like one of their own.
He added: “The boys have been brilliant, especially room-mate Jack Ross, but they’re all a lovely bunch of boys.
“They were saying after the game that I’m a true Scotsman now that I’ve scored and they won’t let me go now.”