Former Aberdeen defender Declan Gallagher hopes to repay the faith of Scotland boss Steve Clarke by forcing his way back into the national team.
Gallagher has revealed Clarke contacted him to offer encouragement following his struggles at Pittodrie last season.
Clarke will name his squad for the Nations League triple-header against Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland this week and former Motherwell captain Gallagher, who left the Dons in the summer to join St Mirren, is dreaming of a Scotland recall.
He said: “When I wasn’t playing at Aberdeen, Steve phoned me up to talk about it.
“He actually took a bit of blame for my situation, which was something he didn’t have to do.
“He took me to the Euros, I was left out for two squads, made the bench for one and never played any games.
“But maybe he felt that had dented my confidence. He didn’t have to say that because obviously, he had choices to make himself.
“So we had a really good chat, and one of the things he said was just to get back playing as I can.
“I did well under him. I got nine caps, and I was eight unbeaten at one stage with Serbia the highlight.
“He knows what I can do, and that I can play at that level. But it comes down to what I do on the park for St Mirren, so hopefully, I can catch his eye again.”
Aberdeen career was a difficult experience for Gallagher
Gallagher is back playing regularly with confidence and enjoying his football again following a difficult season at Pittodrie.
The 31-year-old regards his big move to the Dons from Fir Park as a hugely frustrating experience and found his one season as an Aberdeen player a challenging period mentally.
He said: “From start to finish, the whole season was a low point for me.
“I got myself back into the Aberdeen team, then pulled my hamstring. I came back when Covid hit again, so it was totally stop-start. I was never fully fit.
“I just couldn’t see an end to it, and was in a wee state of depression. At one point, I said to my missus: ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this’.
“I couldn’t see when we’d win another game, or when we’d stop conceding. We went for so long without a clean sheet, it was unbelievable.
“We actually didn’t play too badly. Sometimes we’d have 14 shots, and the other team would have two – but we’d lose 1-0.
“That’s a confidence thing, and you feel it on your shoulders at a big club like Aberdeen.”
Defender enjoying fresh start in Paisley
Gallagher’s failure to produce the form which earned him a move to the Dons, allied to a dire campaign for the team, led to the defender taking criticism from the support.
But having put his Pittodrie period behind him the St Mirren defender is determined to make the most of his fresh start in Paisley.
He said: “I can give it all the excuses I want. But if you’re not doing it on the park, the fans have every right to give you the abuse I got last season.
“It was just a move that did not work out for both parties. Last year in general was difficult to deal with because it was something I’d never experienced before.
“I got that high of international football. The night in Belgrade (where Scotland qualified for the Euros), nothing will ever beat that in my career.
“It’s hard when you don’t play at the Euros. Your confidence drops a wee bit. Then you miss pre-season with your new club, and don’t get off to a great start.
“You automatically start doubting things in your own head that you didn’t used to.
It was tough, mentally. But it’s in the past now, and I’m trying to move on from it.”