It’s so hard to listen to the Welsh talk about Euro glory

BORN in Yorkshire to parents of proud Scottish heritage but currently domiciled in Swansea, it’s probably no bad thing that Oli McBurnie has skin the thickness of a rhino’s hide to go with his footballing talent.

For any Scot plying his trade in the English leagues in the past 20 years, good-natured jibes over the Tartan Army’s ongoing exile from major competitions have become a regular occurrence.

Any sanctuary the striker believed he might have enjoyed from such merciless ribbing upon moving to South Wales three years ago proved to be short-lived.

Not only did Wales qualify for their first major finals since 1958 within months of McBurnie signing, their remarkable run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 is an episode he has never been allowed to forget.

‘They like to bring it up a lot, so it can be tough to take,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘There are a few Scots down there now, so I have a bit more backup. We can fight back a bit. But they do like to bring it up and, to be fair, you can’t take away from what they’ve done.

‘You look at the players they have and there are some of the highest quality. They did really well in that tournament and have some good young boys coming through at Swansea. So it’s good to see your friends doing well.’

The frustration lurking within is thinly concealed, though.

Even allowing for the freak of nature that is Gareth Bale, the fact Wales — a nation of three million — have recently achieved what Scotland have failed repeatedly to do for 20 years now is hard to stomach.

For McBurnie, however, the cheerful noises emanating from the land of song in recent times ought to serve as an inspiration for Scotland to follow suit.

‘It shows that, no matter the size of the country or the expectations, you can always exceed them,’ he said. ‘Wales was a great example of that — and it gives us hope we can do the same in the future.

‘You look at the Northern Ireland team and, on paper, people might think they wouldn’t do as well as they have. But you win a few games and you never know where it can take you.

‘That’s what we need to do — build a few results on top of each other. If we can do that, we’ll be flying.’

McBurnie has good reason to make such optimistic noises. While there is undoubtedly a certain sense of foreboding in some quarters about Scotland’s double-header with Albania and Israel, the striker travelled north in good fettle on Sunday after scoring three goals in his last three outings for the Championship side.

‘I’ve been in a good bit of form at Swansea,’ he noted. ‘And obviously the aim is to come to these internationals and try and carry that on as much as possible.’

It’s not been for the lack of trying but, in his six caps to date, transferring his club form to the international stage has proved beyond him.

This is a worry for Alex McLeish. In the absence of Leigh Griffiths and Steven Naismith, taking Steven Fletcher out of the equation leaves only four goals against the names of players he can choose from on Saturday.

The small Albanian city of Shkoder would be an opportune place for others to step up to the plate.

‘I think it’s coming,’ said McBurnie (below). ‘As a striker, that next chance is always just around the corner. If I keep doing the right things, it will come.

‘You know you’re not going to get five or six chances every game, so, when that one chance comes, you must be clinical.

‘It’s down to me to work hard and be ready for that opportunity if it comes.’

He has been close to that elusive first goal in dark blue on numerous occasions since making his debut against Costa Rica in March.

‘It would be a pinnacle, scoring for your country,’ he smiled. ‘It’s what you dream about when you’re a kid. Hopefully, it will be soon and I’ll tell you all how it feels.

‘It’s frustrating as a striker sometimes when it’s just not going in. I’ve had spells like that before. All of a sudden, you get a couple and you’re flying. I just keep positive.’

Fletcher’s recall is a threat to McBurnie’s ambitions of getting off the mark this weekend but he also views the presence of the Sheffield Wednesday man as a chance to broaden his horizons.

‘He’s played at the highest level in the Premier League and at international level,’ said McBurnie. ‘You can only learn from players like that. That’s definitely what I’ll be looking to do — getting advice, learning things on the training pitch.’

McBurnie feels pressure to deliver for his country but also a debt of gratitude to McLeish for selecting him and standing by him.

What he wouldn’t give to begin repaying that on Saturday. And perhaps turn down the volume in the Swansea dressing room. ‘I’ll be eternally grateful for the opportunity the manager has given me,’ he said. ‘Ever since he’s come in, I’ve been in every squad. ‘So I feel like I want to repay him but I also want to do as well as I can for my country whenever I get that chance.’