His season kicked off in front of 849 fans, now 50,000 await Morgan in Lima
IT IS hard to imagine anyone more appreciative of football’s enduring ability to conjure up tales of the unexpected than Lewis Morgan. The record books show the attacking midfielder began this season with a 4-1 win for St Mirren over Stranraer in front of 849 fans at Stair Park in the Betfred Cup. It may yet conclude with him winning his first full Scotland cap in front of a sell-out 50,000 crowd at Peru’s Estadio Nacional in Lima, before Alex McLeish’s team complete their short summer tour against Mexico in the 87,000-capacity Azteca Stadium. ‘Mental, isn’t it?’ smiled 21-year-old Morgan. ‘The Azteca holds a few more than Stair Park. I remember scoring in that game and setting up a couple. But it’s been a meteoric rise for me this season. It’s something I’ve been working hard for and I’m going to try to embrace it. ‘It’s an honour to get called up to the full Scotland team. If you’d asked me last year, I didn’t think it would come as quickly but I feel ready for it.’ Morgan’s sliding-doors moment came a year past in January. Having debuted with the Buddies in the top flight in 2014, he was part of the squad who were demoted at the end of that season and threatened to fall through the trapdoor again a year down the line. The appointment of Jack Ross in October 2016 transformed the fortunes of club and players. By the end of his first full season in charge, the turnaround had been completed with St Mirren reclaiming their top-flight status. ‘The most important thing for me was I was back to enjoying my football under Jack,’ said Morgan. ‘He came in, we did well and I was really looking forward to the new season. ‘I set myself targets for goals and I wanted to be the best player in the Championship. Thankfully I did that, while also achieving promotion. Everything I could have hoped for went my way.’ Cradling the Ladbrokes Championship Player of the Season award in the colours of his new club Celtic yesterday, the sense of satisfaction was obvious. Now he wants to make an impact against Peru and Mexico. However illogical it seems that the SFA took on these matches, and no matter the depleted numbers McLeish will
travel with, it is a gilt-edged opportunity for players like Morgan to seize the moment. ‘I’d never played for Scotland before the Under-21s. I’d been at a few training camps with younger ages but hadn’t actually played,’ he said. ‘Did not getting picked annoy me? No. My priority was to get playing in a club first team before looking at under-age groups with Scotland. But now I have a chance to play for the senior team, it’s great.’ The short notice added to the practical difficulties of travelling to South and Central America means Morgan’s likely full debut will only be witnessed from afar by his kith and kin. ‘My dad won’t be able to go but I won’t hold a grudge,’ he grinned. ‘He’s been abroad before with Scotland but this is a long flight. He’s actually a bigger Scotland fan than of any club. The kick-off times won’t be ideal either, but I’m sure my family and friends will all be watching.’ For both Peru and Mexico, this is a World Cup dress rehearsal, so McLeish’s experimental sides will face players desperately trying to book their places in Russia. ‘For one reason or another the full squad couldn’t come,’ said Morgan. ‘Celtic just played their last competitive game so to expect boys to fly halfway across the world to play two friendlies isn’t really fair as they need to recover.’
COLORADO RAPIDS pair Danny Wilson and Sam Nicholson have seen their hopes of a Scotland call-up placed in danger because of a fixtures clash. Alex McLeish was reported to have targeted them after suffering six withdrawals from his threadbare tour squad. However, Colorado meet Portland Timbers in the early hours of Sunday — less than 72 hours before Scotland play in Lima — and will then host Vancouver Whitecaps the day before McLeish’s men take on Mexico. Wilson faces the added issue of his wife being due to give birth next week. Johnny Russell’s side Sporting Kansas City also have fixtures around those dates with MLS clubs not obliged to release players as Scotland’s games are not on the official FIFA calendar.