Fleetwood Town have had six players out on international duty over the last fortnight, in the Northern Ireland senior squad and youth teams, with another one in the Scotland youth setup.
Paddy Lane was called up once again to the Northern Ireland senior squad for their UEFA Nations League double-header against Kosovo and Greece, with the young forward being named on the bench for both fixtures. Ian Baraclough’s side managed to overcome Kosovo 2-1 on Saturday last week but fell to defeat when they travelled to Greece on Tuesday evening.
In what seems to be a regular occurrence, both Carl Johnston and Dylan Boyle both made appearances for the Northern Ireland Under-21s as they played Scotland both home and away on Thursday and Sunday respectively. Both started on the bench in the home leg, but both made were introduced during the game, which ended in a loss to the Scots.
In the away leg at St Mirren’s SMiSA Stadium, Johnston moved into the starting XI and had a good game overall. Boyle also came on midway through the second half for Leeds United’s Alfie McCalmont and helped secure a 1-1 draw after a solid performance.
In other Northern Ireland news, Stephen McMullan and Sam Glenfield were named in the Under-19s squad for their busy week in Holland, which saw them play three games against Slovenia, Netherlands, and Moldova. To make it even better, they were part of the squad that secured an elite round spot in the Under-19s Euro Qualifiers.
Goalkeeper McMullan featured between the sticks in the second game of the tour against the host nation, Netherlands, with young forward Glenfield coming off the bench two out of three times – against Slovenia and Netherlands - to help sure up the side and finish off performances.
More good news came from Academy product George Morrison, who has been away with the Scotland Under-18s, who not only made his full international debut but also managed to score his first goal for the Scots as well.
The 16-year-old started the first game against Poland on the bench but was called upon by the managed to come on and try to make a difference in the game, which was great to see by all who have helped with his development in the Academy.
This went one step further as he was named in the starting line-up for the next game against France, a clash in which he managed to find the back of the net becoming the eighth Fleetwood Town player to score internationally!
Well done to all involved, you’ve done the Club and yourselves proud!