Scott jokes cap call-up could cost him his girl
SCOTT BAIN was delighted with his first Scotland call-up but fears he may have lost his girlfriend as a result.
The keeper was due to link up with his other half in Australia after Dundee’s final game of the season this weekend.
But his reunion with Erin, working Down Under, is now scuppered after his surprise elevation into the international set-up. The trip of a lifetime has had to make way for the chance of a lifetime.
On the back of a stunning first season in full-time football Bain has deservedly been selected by Gordon Strachan for the forthcoming friendly with Qatar and vital Euro qualifier against Ireland.
He said: “I didn’t really expect it. I haven’t really been playing of late and I’ve been trying to get over this injury – so it was all a bit of a shock when the manager phoned me.
“I had a holiday booked to Australia for the end of the season so will have to cancel that.
“My girlfriend Erin is over in Perth so I was going to see her for three weeks. She will be disappointed – I might not have a girlfriend anymore!
“No, she’s delighted for me but is just disappointed I can’t go. I booked it a while ago, around February or March, because I didn’t have a clue this would happen. I can’t even push the holiday back because she comes home at the start of July so there is no point.
“I won’t be done with Scotland until the middle of June.”
Strachan’s faith in Bain caps a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the young keeper discarded by Aberdeen four years ago.
And while he harbours no bitterness to the Pittodrie club Bain can still recall the words of former Dons boss Craig Brown who released him as a 19 year old.
Bain was stunned at the time but believes that rejection and three years he spent playing part-time at Alloa while working as a labourer only made him more determined to succeed and to prove people wrong.
He said: “When I was let go by Brown I just remember him saying, ‘ You could be one I regret releasing’. I just thought to myself, ‘Yes, that could be true. I will be’.
“I think it was because I hadn’t played enough games. But that was strange because I was brought back from being at Elgin and wasn’t allowed to go out on loan again. It was outwith my control about playing games. I obviously appreciate everything Aberdeen did for me – but getting released and being in the real world stood me in good stead.
“You have to believe in yourself and have confidence in your own ability. If not then what’s the point in playing?
“It was probably the best thing for me to go and play games. I played about 100 for Alloa in three years and wouldn’t have got them had I stayed at Aberdeen.
“That allowed me to come back to full-time football with Dundee and make the step up with a lot more ease.”
While Brown and the Dons goalkeeping coach Jim Leighton clearly didn’t rate him Paul Hartley most certainly did.
Hartley was at Aberdeen when Bain was part of the club’s academy and had no hesitation in making him his first signing as Alloa boss.
The youngster certainly grasped the opportunity to showcase his talents during a character-building stint at Recreation Park.
Indeed when he was struggling to make ends meet during his spell in part-time football the youngster was forced to take on a full-time job working on a building site.
He said: “I was labouring for the first two years at Alloa. They were tough times – long days and long nights but obviously it was worth it.
“It was just typical gofer stuff – running for plasterboard sheets, lifting wood. It was tough but I’m glad I did it. It’s given me everything I have at this moment. It made me more determined to get where I wanted to be.
“It’s hard when you are a young lad and leave a club like Aberdeen. You leave school early to go full-time don’t you? It’s hard to then get a job. It’s tough to do stuff while you are fulltime in terms of schoolwork so if it does go badly it’s difficult to get a decent job.
“I knew when I was working on the building site I didn’t want to be there. I can’t say I knew then I would get a Scotland call-up. But I knew I’d get back full-time just through getting through the leagues with good performances.
“It was a matter of when. I knew I’d eventually get my chance – it was just a question of who would take that chance.”
Hartley did – not once but twice – and now the Scotland boss has followed suit, handing Bain the opportunity to learn from boyhood hero Craig Gordon when the squad meet up next month.
Bain added: “Being a Hearts fan I watched Craig when he was my age. The three guys Scotland have at the moment are top class. I just need to make sure I keep playing well every week and the manager will keep me in mind for the future.
“Once you are in you get hungry and want more. I just need to be patient and enjoy the experience as much as I can.”
SCOTT BAIN
COLIN DUNCAN