O’Donnell finally believes he is good enough

PART psychologist, part agony uncle, there isn’t a manager in the country who hasn’t occasionally uttered words of encouragement because they are what a player wants to hear. When Jackie McNamara told Stephen O’Donnell he had the capacity to graduate from Partick Thistle to being a full Scotland international, the full-back sensed it was a classic case in point. ‘I thought he had lost his marbles,’ said the defender after a barnstorming display against Albania this week. ‘That was when I was 19 and just released from Celtic. I wasn’t too sure if I believed him. But it is something he always says to me — he thinks I am better than I have been doing. ‘Thankfully this manager (Alex McLeish) managed to give me this. With Steve Clarke believing in me at club level, organising us in a way that got us wins, it drew attention to Kilmarnock.’ After getting a foothold in the game with Thistle in 2011, he joined English League Two club Luton. Released after two years at Kenilworth Road, his return to the Scottish game with Killie a year ago went largely unnoticed. What a dizzying ascent he’s been on since then. Scotland’s summer trip to Peru and Mexico was always going to open doors for some. We just didn’t know exactly who. O’Donnell played in both games and was trusted to take on a wing-back role against the Albanians. ‘If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t be here now,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘I got called up at the last minute for that one and I was over the moon. I enjoyed the trip.’ Having climbed the mountain to win four caps, the question now is whether he can stay there. Does he believe he can? ‘I am not sure,’ he smiled. ‘Maybe if I can get to ten caps, then I belong to be here. There are players like Callum Paterson, James Forrest and Ryan Fraser, who can all operate on that right-hand side. ‘Are you telling me they are not good players? That they can’t fill in Alan Hutton’s shoes? Of course they can. But if I get the nod again, I’ll do my best.’