Former Dundee full back Craig Forsyth says he is eager to edge out ex-Dundee United defender Andy Robertson for a starting place in the Scotland line-up as the country’s Euro 2016 bid heats up.
The pair have both long since left the City of Discovery for life south of the border but fans of the city’s two senior clubs will no doubt still be rooting for their ex-players when it comes to Gordon Strachan naming his first team.
Forsyth, who spent five years at Dens Park earlier in his career, knows full well that Hull City star Robertson is probably Strachan’s preferred choice at left back, although the Derby defender looked to stake a claim when making his first international start against Northern Ireland in midweek.
And it’s a challenge the 26-year-old Carnoustie man is relishing.
“Andy’s done really well since he came in and it will be his jersey while I try to take it off him,” he commented.
“That’s all I can try to do, just do my best and hopefully give the manager a problem.
“It’s going to be tough because he’s done really well, but that’s what I’ve got to try and aim for.
“I just have to do enough to make sure that when Andy plays he’s under pressure because the manager knows he’s got me to do a job as well.
“That’s what I’ve got to aim for and I hope I did that against Northern Ireland.
“The manager just told me to relax, go out there and play my normal game.
“I think I did that and hopefully it was enough to impress him.
“Making my first start was a very proud moment.
“I’ve been in the last few squads so to get the chance to try and impress from the start has been good.
“You go through your career hoping to play for Scotland at Hampden and wondering what it would feel like.
“I’ve managed to do that now so I’m very pleased.
“My dad was coming to the game anyway but when I found out my mum got a late shout as well so she managed to make it.”
Forsyth has never looked back after his move to England and believes the switch has stood him in good stead in recent years.
He explained: “I’ve bulked up a lot since going down to England.
“The set-up there is a lot different to what I was used to at Dundee, there’s much more emphasis on the physical side of the game.
“The gym facilities and stuff are there.
“There’s definitely more put on being physical and I think that’s helped me massively.
“It’s more important in England to be physical because of the speed of the game and the size of the players.
“You are coming up against guys there who have been doing it at that level for years, so you’ve got to catch up with them.
“If you don’t, you can struggle.”
Like all the members of the Scotland squad, Forsyth is waiting to find out if he will get the nod to face Gibraltar on Sunday.
Whether he starts on the pitch or on the bench is anyone’s guess, but he insists the whole squad will not take the group’s so-called whipping boys lightly.
“We have to approach Sunday like every other game,” he concluded.
“We’ll be taking it seriously just like we would against anyone else.
“That’s the only way to go into any match.
“We will be watching their games on video and seeing how they play.
“Everyone is looking forward to the game on Sunday, there’s no apprehension about it.
“Coming off the results we’ve had, there’s a confidence and we just want to get playing.
“Against Northern Ireland there was a lot of keeping at the back and I don’t think the fans get too excited at that.
“But it’s part of what we’ve got to do to keep the ball and on Sunday we’ll have to do the same and be patient in possession.”