Aberdeen Women striker Bayley Hutchison is hoping her goal-scoring form has caught the attention of the Scotland under-23 selectors.
Hutchison, 19, has been on terrific form this season, scoring six goals in six SWPL games, and sits tied for second in the league scoring charts.
A new Scotland under-23 set-up was announced last week, with Pauline MacDonald set to lead the squad for the upcoming camp alongside assistants Gary Doctor and former Dons Women co-manager Gavin Beith.
The under-23 squad is a part of the SFA’s women’s Accelerate Our Game strategy, and will aim to bridge the gap between youth and senior international football.
Hutchison, a former U19 international, hopes to be named in the Scotland under-23 squad to play Australia in Italy later this month.
She said: “Trying to push for the Scotland squad, that’s the aim for myself this season.
“It would be hard to get in the A squad considering the calibre of players that play in my position, but the under-23s is something that I want to try and push for.
“I’ve never played Australia, so that would be a really good experience. Their senior squad is one of the best in the world, so I’d guess their under-23s are going to be the exact same.
“To go away and get that experience would be amazing, so hopefully we find out soon.”
Under-23s would be an “amazing” stepping stone
The Aberdeen striker believes the under-23 squad would be a good springboard for her to achieve her aim of one day being selected for the senior squad.
Hutchison said: “It’s an amazing stepping stone. You see England who are winning tournaments and reaching World Cup finals, and they’ve got an amazing 23s set-up.
“Getting that for Scotland would be a stepping stone to the senior squad, but also helps develop players so that when they do get to that squad it’s not as big as a jump.
“You see people like Emma (Watson) and Kirsty (McLean) getting to the A squad, but for people like me who don’t play professionally full-time then that jump can be quite hard.
“You might not be on the radar as the coach as much, so the under-23s is going to be important and it’s something a lot of the players here at Aberdeen will be pushing for.”
Hutchison’s form is not unsurprising, with the young striker having scored 25 goals in 52 appearances in the previous two SWPL seasons, but credits her recent displays to the positive changes at the Dons this term.
The striker said: “Clint (Lancaster) coming in has really helped me a lot, and playing alongside Hannah Stewart has been really good as well.
“Last season was hard because we were in and out of positions, but me and Hannah have formed a good bond together. We’re both getting in good positions and getting on the scoresheet.
“Everyone is playing with more confidence.
“We’re more attacking which is how I like to play. I’m getting into the right positions to take shots, and credit to the team for getting the ball there and letting me do what I can do.”
Hutchison will be looking to keep up her goal-scoring form when the Dons return to SWPL action against Hibernian on Wednesday night at Meadowbank.
Aberdeen go into the game in fifth having won four out of their six games this season, while Hibs sit eighth with eight points.
Hutchison said: “Hibs have changed a lot this season. They have a new manager and have new players, but they’ve done well so far.
“They have had a lot of injuries, which has been challenging for them, and are a young team, so it will be an interesting game.
“We’ll go down there with confidence and we’ll try to pick up the points. We need to focus on ourselves and how we play to get something from the game because it will be tough.”
Conversation