Celtic’s hitherto forgotten man Jack Hendry made a start for Scotland last night.
In a 2-2 draw with Austria [BBC], Scotland twice equalised, showing the fight that had been missing for so long. Hendry had a decent game, along with Ryan Christie, who was denied a clear penalty in the second half.
Hendry spoke about his disappointment in the result. However, he did express that there was reason to believe Scotland could pick themselves up for their next two fixtures. Familiar opponents Israel and the Faroe Islands await Steve Clarke’s men.
The Oostende loanee said [Daily Record]:
“Disappointing. I thought we might have deserved to win. It was two disappointing goals to concede but at the same time we scored two very good goals against a very good side.
“Austria are a top team so to come away with a draw is not the worst result in the world. It shows a lot about the group mentality to come back twice against a side like that. We just have to try and take the positives and hopefully build on that against Israel.
“I’m delighted to be back in the fold. It’s a great learning curve again and I just need to learn from the game and take it forward in my career. But it was good to be back out there with a Scotland top on again.”
Is Jack Hendry a decent bet to start for Scotland against Israel?
While Grant Hanley and John McGinn dominated the headlines, it’s possible Clarke saw enough in Jack Hendry to start him again at the weekend.
If you’re being picky, you could suggest that Hendry played Kalajdzic onside for the first goal [Sky Sports/YouTube]. Overall, though, the forgotten Celtic man, now on his second loan away from the club, didn’t look too out of place. It’s a marked improvement on where Hendry’s career was only twelve months ago.
His attitude seems right. At 25, he’s still on the young side, and can definitely keep improving his game. If anything, he looked a good deal more composed than when we saw him play for Celtic. In possession, he was generally tidy, and the first goal aside, he kept a decent line with teammates Hanley and Kieran Tierney.
Talking about the group mentality will have won him a knowing nod from Steve Clarke, we’re sure. Overall, it seems like Hendry is in no mood to concede his Scotland place any time soon.
His club situation, though, is far more uncertain.
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