Scotland’s Under-17s and Under-19s have secured their spots in the Elite Qualifying Round of the 2020 UEFA European Championships.
The men’s and women’s teams sailed through their first rounds of qualifiers which took place throughout October.
First to book their place was the Pauline Hamill’s Women’s Under-19 side. They kicked off their campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory against Bulgaria with goals from Brogan Moore, Rebecca McGowan, Hannah Scott and Aisha Maughan.
Despite not finding a breakthrough in a goalless draw against Croatia in their second match, the Scots secured a spot in the Elite Round with one game to go. A 1-0 win over Poland saw them top the group to round off a successful series of qualifiers.
Next up was the Men’s Under-19s who pulled off an impressive win against Germany in their final match to take the top spot in their group. Billy Stark’s side only managed to take one point from their first game after drawing 2-2 with Belarus, however wins in the other two games saw them finish above the Germans with seven points out of a possible nine.
Pauline McDonald’s Women’s Under-17 squad continued the Scottish success with a second-place finish in their group. They produced excellent performances against Northern Ireland and Montenegro, scoring eight goals and conceding just one. The Scots unfortunately fell to a 4-0 defeat against Italy in their final qualifier, but they had already done enough to proceed to the next round.
Lastly, the Men’s Under-17s made it a full house. Wins against Armenia and Iceland put them joint top of their group alongside their final opponents Croatia, and secured qualification to the next round. The Scots unfortunately had to settle for second place after Croatia scored in the last minute to win 2-1 at Forthbank Stadium.
This string of positive results for the young sides is good news for the future of international football in Scotland. A host of strong and talented players are coming up through the ranks and are proving themselves on a European stage. There are certainly a few rising stars to keep an eye on in these squads as they develop and undoubtedly break into the senior squads in years to come.
The teams will now await their draws for the Elite Rounds which take place over the next few weeks. Should they be successful there, they will book their places at the finals held in across Europe next summer.
