DOCHERTY TEMPTED BY REPUBLIC OFFER
HAMILTON midfielder Greg Docherty has refused to rule out the prospect of switching allegiance from Scotland to the Republic of Ireland. Despite an excellent start to the season, the twice-capped Under-21 international was omitted from Scot Gemmill’s squad that beat Holland 2-0 in Paisley on Tuesday night. As Sportsmail reported yesterday, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) are closely monitoring the 20-year-old, who qualifies through his Donegal-born grandparents. And if his Scotland dream does not become a reality, Docherty admits he would pursue the Irish route, just as Castlemilk-born former Accies star James McCarthy did before him. Docherty said: ‘I’ve always known I was eligible for Ireland through my grandparents but Wednesday morning was the first I found out about their interest. ‘It’s nice and flattering if you are attracting interest at international level but it would be a big decision for me. ‘I grew up a Scotland fan and I’ve represented Scotland before, so I was a bit disappointed at not being involved in the Holland game. But it was nice to hear people saying they were surprised I wasn’t included. ‘Scotland would be my preference. So my goal is to try to work hard and get back in the Scotland Under-21 squad for the games next month. But if it came down to it, I would have no qualms switching over. ‘If it helps develop your career that’s an option you have to consider. Everyone wants to play international football, play on the big stage and get to major tournaments. If that came around then I’d relish that.’