Flashback It was short but sweet
With the international break now upon us, it will be business as usual for the Buddies.
But it was a bit different a few years ago for goalkeeper Craig Samson, who received a call-up to the Scotland squad.
And the eagle-eyed among you might spot a young Gary MacKenzie alongside him in Glasgow Airport’s departure lounge.
Samson believed his chance to play for Scotland had gone when he was a part-time footballer at Ayr United three years previous.
But, the St Mirren stopper was adamant he could challenge Allan McGregor on a full-time basis for the No.1 jersey.
The 28-year-old was drafted into Craig Levein’s squad for the qualifier with Macedonia following an injury to Matt Gilks.
It was the second time he’d been called upon by Levein, following Blue and white
St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match.
They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
Today, we look back at the Scotland career of St Mirren goalkeeper Craig Samson in 2011. some terrific displays for Danny Lennon’s side in the SPL.
And Samson, who was relegated with Ayr to the Second Division in 2010, insisted he had the belief to compete with then Besiktas’ stopper McGregor in the Scotland set-up.
He said: “When I was at Ayr I was playing part-time football and at some point you think international football has passed you by.
“But through hard work and doing my best for St Mirren, I’ve managed to get back in.
“You always have to believe you can do it at the highest level and I’ve never lost that. It wasn’t easy at Ayr but I always kept hoping. I’d been involved with the Under-21s but thought my chance of making the full squad had gone.
“So it was great to get the call-up and to be back involved. But the hard work is just getting started for me. I want to be involved in squads but once you do that, you want to be playing. That’s the next step for me.
“But it’s extremely difficult because we have some top class keepers vying for one position.
“Greegsy more than proved his worth against Serbia and Macedonia and no one can deny the quality he has.”
But Samson knew how tough it would be to dislodge McGregor, with the likes of David Marshall and Gilks also providing cover. He added: “The squad has some fantastic players in it.”