Click here to view the full Scotland under-21s squad

Nineteen years, three months and five days. Since Scotland last played at a UEFA European U21s Championship finals, confirming their fourth-placed finish with a loss against France in the third-place play-off on 31 May 1996, almost a generation has passed.

In hindsight, that success seems a false dawn now, as they have struggled to get past the qualification stage ever since.

Newly appointed coach Ricky Sbragia will be looking to rectify that and get off to a flying start to the qualifying campaign for the 2017 UEFA European U21 Championship finals in Poland when his team take on Northern Ireland in their opening match at Mourneview Park in Lurgan on Saturday.

Scotland have been drawn into a strong group, being paired with France, Ukraine, Iceland and FYR Macedonia. Iceland already showed their credentials when they easily beat Macedonia 3-0 in the only qualifying match played so far. Scotland need to get out of the blocks equally as quickly if they are to have any realistic chance of making it to the finals.

They will be pinning a good portion of their hopes on in-form Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser, who is currently impressing on loan at Ipswich and was nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award for August on the back of his strong performances. Fraser has scored three goals in seven appearances for Ipswich so far, including a spectacular winner against Preston, and looks the player most likely to provide the attacking spark for Scotland.

In recent history, the most successful national teams have profited immensely from having blocks of players from the same teams in their ranks. Spain, with Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Germany, with strong blocks of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund players, respectively, have demonstrated just how fruitful knowing some of your teammates can be in terms of integration into the team and already having an understanding for their movement and behaviour on the field.

The time spent with national teams tends to be short, in many ways too short to build up any real attacking fluency or defensive partnerships. Having players in the squad that train and play with each other week in, week out is invaluable, as many of the seemingly telepathic connections that would usually require more time to build are already in place. It must be good, then, to see that kind of familiarity in the current under-21s squad, with goalkeeper Jack Hamilton, defenders Jordan McGhee & Callum Paterson and midfielders Billy King and Sam Nicholson all plying their trade at Hearts.

Other noteworthy players include Hibs forward Jason Cummings, West Ham’s Stephen Hendrie, Ryan Gauld of Sporting Lisbon fame and Dundee United’s John Souttar, who could make his debut for the under-21s.

For Northern Ireland, Michael Duffy of Celtic might be in line to get his fourth cap while Sbragia’s team will be looking to put Kilmarnock’s Conor Brennan, who is likely to start in goal, under early pressure.

Scotland have not played a competitive match against Northern Ireland on an under-21s level yet. However, they previously beat them 3-1 in a friendly in 2010 and will be hoping for a similar outcome on Saturday to secure a good platform from which to continue their campaign.

The players, all toddlers on that day in May 1996, will be hoping to defy history.

 

Scotland under-21 internationalist Ryan Fraser has been nominated for the English Championship Player of the Month award for August.

The left-sided former Aberdeen midfielder is currently on a season-long loan at Ipswich Town from English Premiership newcomers Bournemouth. The 21 year-old has put in a string of impressive performances for the Tractor Boys, who currently sit 3rd in the league table with manager Mick McCarthy targeting promotion to the big time.

Fraser’s pace and ability to both score and create goals from midfield has made an instant impact at Portman Road. During the first month of the league campaign, the eight-time Scotland under-21 cap has netted two goals, including a fabulous curled winner away to Preston North End, and created three others for his team-mates.

Fraser signed for Aberdeen FC in 2010 at the age of 16, making his first-team debut against Hearts in October of the same year under veteran ex-Scotland boss Craig Brown, who marked him out as a future star.

In December 2012, Fraser rejected the offer of a new contract from the Dons and just over a month later completed a £400,000 transfer from the Granite City to Bournemouth AFC.

After playing five times for his new employers in the second half of the 2012/13 season on the Cherries’ road to promotion from English League One, Fraser was a first-team regular in his first campaign in the Championship. In 37 league appearances, the Aberdonian scored three times. The following season he made 21 league appearances.

However, with Eddie Howe’s side now facing the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal in England’s wealthy top league, the former six-time Scotland under-19 cap has been farmed out on-loan to Ipswich, where he is now thriving.

Fraser’s fellow nominees for the Championship Player of the Month award for August are Birmingham City midfielder Stephen Gleeson, Burnley centre-half Michael Keane and Brighton & Hove Albion’s winger Kazenga Lua Lua.

All four nominees, despite their differences in position and the fact that none are strikers, were rather prolific in front of goal during last month. Not only has Fraser scored twice, but Gleeson has also netted two goals, Lua Lua has scored three times and even defender Keane has grabbed three goals, all thumping headers, from the back.

Regardless of whether he wins the competition or not this time, Fraser’s nomination demonstrates once again the breadth and depth of young Scottish talent currently coming through, hopefully to the benefit of the national teams at all age-levels.