“I always had it in the back of my mind that one day I might get a call-up but it did come as a surprise”
MARC MCNULTY
reveals he secretly hoped his loan move to Hibs could give him the chance to earn the Scotland cap he craved so much.
MARC MCNULTY lutely mental. It was great to find out.
“Later on that day I got an email and a phone call from someone at the SFA to let me know the itinerary and stuff. I was just hoping that someone wasn’t at the wind-up!”
Mcnulty did not feature at youth level and the closest he got was watching from the sidelines like every other kid who dreamed of one day pulling on the dark blue, convincing his mum that he was old enough to get the train with some schoolfriends and head through to Hampden to lend his voice to the roar.
“It’s great. It’s probably every boy’s dream growing up,” he said. “The first thing you want to do is play for your country and that was the case for me. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to do it at youth team levels but that’s fine looking back now. If I was to get a cap it’d be a dream come true.”
Inclusion in Alex Mcleish’s squad for the forthcoming trips to face Kazakhstan and San Marino signals a swift and significant change of fortune for the 26-year-old, who is only playing in the Scottish Premiership because he was deemed to be surplus to requirements at parent club Reading, despite a million-pound move there in the summer.
“I did always have it in the back of my mind that one day, the dream would come true and I might get [a call-up] but it did come as a surprise that it happened so early,” he said. “Especially after being told I couldfindsomethingelseand training with the youth team at Reading.
“Then, never in my wildest dreams did I think that in a couple of months time I’d get a call-up for Scotland. It has gone from one of my lowest points to the highest.
“I signed a four-year deal in
0 Marc Mcnulty weighs up a Scotland jersey, which he could be wearing in the forthcoming matches against Kazakhstan and San Marino.
“I signed a fouryear deal in the Championship, was desperate to impress, then a new manager comes in and says ‘nah, you’re not for me’ ”
the Championship, was desperate to impress, then a new manager comes in and says ‘nah, you’re not for me’.
“That’s fine, that’s football. But I didn’t get to train with the first team and it was a nightmare.
“But I stayed positive and knew January was just around the corner and there would be other opportuniplaying ties elsewhere. I can’t put into words how happy I am now.
“I had a good season last year and made a few people aware of what I could do. I think some folk might have wanted to watch me this season to see if I could kick on – then I found myself in the stand more than anything else.
“It was difficult at the start of the season when I wasn’t but coming back up to Hibs has given me a platform to perform, enjoy my football and show them what I can do. I’m glad they were watching and gave me this opportunity.”
With six goals and several assists in his first eight games for the Easter Road club Mcnulty knows he is in the kind of form with which he could take advantage of the absence of players such as Leigh Griffiths and Steven Naismith and stake a serious claim for a starring role in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. “It gives me a chance to go there and grasp it with both hands,” he added. “I’ve got to be confident that, if I get minutes on the pitch, then I’ll do that.”