Wighton knows Under-21s are up for England
Craig Wighton will be perched on his couch when Scotland Under21s face England’s kids on Friday night.
But the crocked Dundee star wishes he was poised on the pitch instead.
Wighton has been an ever-present in Under21s coach Scot Gemmill’s squads for years, stretching right back to his time with the Under-17s.
The 20-year-old scored against the Czech Republic this summer as the young Scots clinched an impressive third place finish at the Toulon Tournament.
However, a knee injury sustained in pre-season robbed him of a certain role as the Under-21s kicked off their latest Euros qualifying campaign.
Wighton watched them start without him by claiming a shock 2-0 win over the Netherlands.
Now he believes they can pick up where they left off when they take on the Auld Enemy in Middlesbrough.
“Obviously I’d rather be involved, particularly with the boys playing as well as they have been,” said Wighton. “But I enjoyed watching them against Holland.
“I thought they controlled the game, and looked comfy throughout.
“If anything, they maybe could have had another couple of goals. So it’s all positive.
“Knowing that bunch of players and the way the manager works, that isn’t a surprise to me.
“It’s a really close group, everyone gets on really well and most of the boys are playing every week at club level, which helps.
“It’s been a few years since the Under-21s were doing well, but the boys will be full of belief after the Holland game and I’m confident they’ll give a good account of themselves.”
Wighton reckons familiarity is the biggest factor in the young Scots’ new-found confidence.
“The fact that everybody knows exactly how everybody else works is a big thing,” said Wighton.
“Usually when you move through the age groups, you get different coaches and they all work differently.
“But Scot Gemmill has been there the whole way through and that’s a big help. He knows all the players, he’s always going to games and watching boys, so when you meet up, it’s more like a club atmosphere.
“Sometimes in national squads you can get wee groups splitting off, but there’s none of that in this squad.
“Everybody gets on well – even all the staff. That makes it enjoyable being away.
“If you go away and you’re not playing well it can be difficult. But when this group goes away, we know we can beat anyone on our day, and you can see that by the way we play.”