The glove rivalry stretches back 10 years to a seven-a-side park in Hong Kong. But Liam Kelly reckons renewing a friendly goalie war with Angus Gunn that previously crossed the border will have massive benefits on home soil.
The Motherwell skipper could have been forgiven for taking the hump when Gunn was convinced to switch allegiance from England to Scotland and was instantly handed the No.1 jersey for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain. Especially as Kelly has been involved in squads for over four years now without getting a single minute on the park.
But the 27-year-old shotstopper holds no grudges towards the Norwich ace, whose international career at youth level had all been for the Three Lions rather than the Lion Rampant. One of those was in a Victory Shield clash where Gunn’s England shot down Scotland 4-2, with Kelly sitting on the bench for the Scots. Around the same time the keepers faced off in the Hong Kong Citibank International Soccer Sevens with Kelly in goal for Rangers and Gunn between the sticks for Manchester City.
They are international team-mates now, though, vying for the same position alongside Hearts’ Zander Clark. And Kelly insists it would be ridiculous to claim there’s any ill-feeling in the ranks.
He said: “I’ve been in there for a long time but no, there’s no frustration. I had Craig Gordon in front of me and then the manager went with Angus in March.
“You need to respect that. Ultimately he got two clean sheets so you can’t argue with his decision. You just have to try to play well for your club and if selected, try to do your best when joining up with the squad.
“If you get asked to play then go and do your best. It never changes. Angus is a sound big guy. I’ve played against him before when he was with Manchester City and I was at Rangers. It was actually in Hong Kong! It was a seven-a-side tournament.
“It was in 2013 but I have no idea what the score was. And I was on the bench for Scotland in the Victory Shield when he was in goals for England as well, so I’ve been aware of him for a long time.
“I’d admired his game for a long time and I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s a nice big guy, chilled out, and he
did brilliant in the games he played. He has played in the Premier League so I was well aware of his profile.
"In the two games he played he showed his quality. We all want as many good players in the squad as possible.”
Steve Clarke and his men are in Murcia preparing for next week’s crucial qualifier against Erling Haaland and Norway, with Gunn expected to keep the No.1 shirt after two clean sheets in March. Hampden victories over Cyprus and Spain got Scotland’s Group A campaign off to a flier three months ago and a win in Oslo would put them in a strong position at the top of the table.
He might be struggling for game time but Kelly will never take his inclusion in the national squad for granted. He said: “I love it. You’re in among the best three keepers in the country and there’s a lot worse things in life than that.
“It’s big recognition and it’s hard to sometimes realise that when you’re not playing. But it’s a really good squad to be part of. Everyone is pulling in the right direction.
“It’s not like there’s starters and then boys that don’t play. It’s like one big club team, a great camaraderie. I’ve been a part of a lot of squads under the manager and we both know exactly how each other works.
“My message has never changed. Play well for your club and that will give you the best chance to be in the Scotland manager’s thoughts.”
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