It’s been a busy few days of international football for Dundee Football Club.
Seven Dees received call-ups to various senior and U/21 sides – Lyall Cameron unfortunately pulling out of Scotland duty due to injury.
Fin Robertson would then receive a late call from Scot Gemmill to join up with Scotland U/21s.
Also away were Owen Beck and Ryan Howley with Wales, Josh Mulligan impressing at Fir Park, Aaron Donnelly having a Friday to forget and Amadou Bakayoko in Morocco.
So how did they all get on?
Owen Beck
Beck has been a sensation since arriving on loan from Liverpool.
Such has been his impact that Rob Page gave him his first call-up to the senior Wales squad for a friendly at home to Gibraltar.
OWEN BECK | Mor agos! | So close!
Gwych gan Owen Beck i greu'r cyfle i'w hun, ond golwr Czechia yn arbed yr ergyd yn dda.
47' Czechia 1-0 @Cymru D21
YouTube | https://t.co/IUamHb5iCb pic.twitter.com/erUXs3RAgG
— Sgorio ⚽️ (@sgorio) October 13, 2023
The expectation was he’d get a run-out alongside some other new faces. However, an early injury to Wes Burns used up one of their six substitutions and Beck was left on the bench for the remainder of the 4-0 win.
The flying full-back then joined the U/21s for a key qualifier away to Czechia and impressed.
He was denied a wonderful individual goal at 1-0 down before being spotted on video shushing the home support after Cian Ashford’s 96th-minute volley levelled the scores (see below).
That goal moved Wales into second in the group, one point behind leaders Iceland.
Ryan Howley
Another Dee loanee, Ryan Howley was added to the Welsh U/21 side.
He has only one cap at that level but is highly-rated by parent club Coventry.
Another call-up speaks to that but he was an unused sub for that 1-1 draw in Czechia.
Josh Mulligan
Dundee academy product Josh Mulligan is a regular now for Scot Gemmill’s side.
He earned caps nine and 10 at U/21 level in wins over Hungary and Malta, joining only Conor Barron and Cieran Slicker on double-figures in the current squad.
Mulligan played 90 minutes in the 3-1 win over Hungary and stood out against Malta.
Two storming runs, familiar to Dundee fans, opened up the visiting defence – in the first half he cut in from the left flank, found his way into the six-yard box and struck the post.
#SCO21s | Kieron Bowie's third goal in two games gives us a late lead at Fir Park 🙌#YoungTeam pic.twitter.com/2HMbB4A02S
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) October 17, 2023
Later in the game, he had switched to right-back and drove into the area, cutting the ball across to the far post for Kieron Bowie to net the winner.
That leaves the Scots third in Group B, three points behind leaders Spain and Belgium.
Fin Robertson
Capped at U/19 level, Robertson earned his first U/21 call after an impressive start to the season.
His debut at that level will have to wait, however. He was an unused sub against Hungary and wasn’t in the matchday squad against Malta.
Manager Tony Docherty, though, has urged the midfielder to use the call-up to kick on.
Aaron Donnelly
Young defender Aaron Donnelly may be unfamiliar to some Dees because he’s yet to turn out for the Dark Blues.
He joined on loan from Nottingham Forest in the summer but immediately injured an ankle and has only managed a place on the bench once so far.
He did, though, get some action for Northern Ireland U/21s. Donnelly is the most experienced player in Tommy Wright’s squad but won’t remember his 15th cap with much fondness.
With his side 1-0 up away to Azerbaijan, Donnelly conceded a penalty and was shown a red card on 37 minutes.
Dzhamal Dzhafarov missed the penalty and Wright’s side held on for a 1-0 victory. Donnelly was then suspended for the 2-1 home defeat to Serbia on Monday.
Northern Ireland are currently bottom of Group F after four games.
Amadou Bakayoko
Sierra Leone have a new head coach ahead of the start of their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign next month.
They made headlines ahead of their training camp in Morocco by calling up 38-year-old former England U/21 international Curtis Davies.
He made his debut in the second of their friendlies this week, a 2-0 win over Somalia.
Dundee’s Amadou Bakayoko was a substitute for that one but started in the 1-1 draw with Benin on Saturday.
The Leone Stars were denied victory that day thanks to a 98th-minute equaliser.
Bakayoko is now on 10 caps and will be hoping to be part of the squad to face Ethiopia and Egypt next month.
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