GRIFFITHS KNOWS HE MUST BIDE HIS TIME ON THE BENCH

LEIGH GRIFFITHS is grateful to have so many cheerleaders calling for him to be handed an overdue chance to show that 40-goals-a-season domestic exploits can translate to Scotland’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

But, by the striker’s own admission, the campaign could again fall on deaf ears in the build-up to the England clash as long as Moussa Dembele remains in hot form and the darling of Brendan Rodgers.

Dembele scoring Champions League doubles and Old Firm hat-tricks means that Griffiths is no longer guaranteed to start games for Celtic and cannot realistically muster an argument to dislodge the French sensation right now.

Griffiths, who missed the Malta and Old Firm game with a hamstring problem, stressed he is 100-per-cent sharp to start games for club and country. Yet it appears like his canvassing for inclusion in Gordon Strachan’s team to play the next Scotland qualifier at Wembley will need to be done from the Parkhead substitutes bench.

‘Moussa’s on fire and the gaffer doesn’t need to move him because he’s been playing so well,’ said Griffiths. ‘If the gaffer can accommodate me and Moussa at the same time that’ll be great. But, to be fair, if I was in Moussa’s shoes and I got benched, then I’d be disappointed. So I think I’ll need to bide my time to get back in the team.

‘I felt sharp when I came off the bench against Kilmarnock and Dundee. And I felt sharp when I came off the bench against Lithuania and Slovakia. I’m ready to start games whether it’s for Celtic or Scotland. It’s just about getting the opportunity.

‘I think anybody would like a crack at England at Wembley. But I will need to work hard, hopefully get back in the Celtic team to score goals and get back in the Scotland squad. After that, it’s then all about trying to impress the manager.’

Griffiths (right) had not impressed sufficiently to shift Chris Martin, without a club goal in a dozen attempts for Derby and Fulham before leading the line against Lithuania, then Steven Fletcher in Slovakia from Strachan’s favour. He was restricted to 20 minutes at Hampden last Saturday, then a 64th-minute introduction in Trnava with Scotland 2-0 down. On both occasions he looked bright and Scotland appeared more capable of getting in behind opposition defences. On Friday, Strachan denied that Griffiths would have to grow accustomed to being a substitute for Scotland. However, he did seek to explain the omission of Griffiths from the most recent starting line-ups by highlighting the problems he faces selecting a team with sufficient height to defend set-plays. The statistics from Euro 2016 confirmed to Strachan how essential it was to properly prepare with adequate height for dealing with such a popular route to goal in international football. Almost 30 per cent — 31 of the 108 tournament goals — came from set-pieces, an increase of 21 per cent on the 2012 renewal. Nineteen of them, vitally, were the first goal in the game. With no giants as back-up in midfield (James Morrison, Shaun Maloney, John McGinn, Ikechi Anya and James Forrest were the alternatives to the starters in Slovakia), Matt Ritchie and Barry Bannan kept their places and the spot up front was handed to Steven Fletcher. As it turned out, Scotland did not look rock solid in any defensive situation when Slovakia threatened. Strachan has just over three weeks to figure out how to make his team more robust for Wembley before considering if Griffiths is his best hope of nicking a goal at the other end. On his substitute role, Griffiths said: ‘That’s the manager’s decision. I know a lot of people were commenting on social media but the manager picks the best XI he thinks he can to win the game. I’ve bided my time waiting on the touchline.’