International Friendlies

Northern Ireland v Scotland
Seaview Stadium, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Thursday, 10 June 2021, kick-off 7pm

Wales v Scotland
Parc y Scarlets, Llanellii, Wales
Tuesday, 15 June 2021, kick-off 7.15pm

Scotland Women’s National Team Interim Head Coach Stuart McLaren has named his squad for the upcoming international friendlies in Northern Ireland and Wales including four uncapped players.

Eartha Cummings, Brianna Westrup, Leah Eddie and Christy Grimshaw have all been included for the two matches which will act as preparation matches for the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers that will begin in September against Hungary and Faroe Islands.

21-year-old Charlton Atheltic goalkeeper Eartha Cummings has been included having impressed through the youth squads along with Leah Eddie who has followed a similar path and was recently named as Hibernian Player of the Year.

Brianna Westrup is one of five Rangers players involved and will be aiming for her first Scotland cap during June. The American born defender qualifies for Scotland through her Mother and joined Rangers last October from Newcastle United.

25-year-old Christy Grimshaw will join the squad fresh from competing in the Women’s Coppa Italia Final last night where AC Milan lost out on penalties to Roma.

Born in Kircaldy, Grimshaw broke into the Aberdeen first team at the age of 16 before spending five years at Barry University in Miami and playing in Metz.

Lisa Evans, Martha Thomas, Jen Beattie are all ruled out the squad due to injury and Emma Mitchell is also not included after recently announcing her pregnancy.

Leanne Ross will once again be Stuart McLaren’s assistant and they’ll be joined by Bristol City head coach Tanya Oxtoby. The Australian played for a number of clubs in her home country including Perth Glory before moving to England and playing with Doncaster Rovers Belles.

She has since managed England Under-19s and Nottingham Forrest as well as being assistant at Birmingham City and Perth Glory.

Stuart McLaren Q and A

Talk us through the four new call-ups?

It’s great to have four fresh faces in the squad and gives a good indication of the strength and depth we have. We took Megan Cunningham to Cyprus and now we have an opportunity to include a younger goalkeeper in Eartha Cummings who has come through the youth national team pathway and has performed well for Charlton.

Brianna Westrup has established herself as one of the top central defenders in the SWPL and after being aware of her eligibility for Scotland, everyone associated with Rangers couldn’t speak highly enough of her as a person and player. She’ll be joined by Leah Eddie who has also played for your youth teams and has done very well for Hibs. Hannah Godfrey and Jen Beattie aren’t included this time so that will provide Brianna and Leah a great opportunity to impress.

Christy Grimshaw has had a great season at AC Milan, qualifying for the Champions League. She’s had a great season it’ll be brilliant to have her involved. She’s been on the radar for a little while and she’s thrilled to be included.

What will Tanya Oxtoby bring to your coaching staff?

We’re really delighted to have someone of Tanya’s experience coming to work with us on this camp. I’m sure the players will enjoy working with her, along with Leanne who did will in February.

You must be happy to have Lana Clelland back involved in the squad for the first time since the World Cup?

It’s been a challenging time for Lana but she’s committed to playing for her country and she has done well previously. She’s back to a consistent level of form and I’m really looking forward to working with her.

What are the aims for these two upcoming matches?

We’re looking for two very good performances and two positive results. The major focus for us is to make sure the players are as well prepared as possible going into the qualifiers in September as possible. We’ll look to use a variety of players and switch up the systems of play that we use.

I’ve been asked to take the team on an interim basis so I will do my best to implement ideas that I feel will suit the squad going forward for the new head coach who will be in place by September. I want the players to have the best experience possible and puts them in a good place to perform for those competitive fixtures.

Scotland squad

Goalkeepers

Lee Alexander (Glasgow City)
Jenna Fife (Rangers)
Eartha Cummings (Charlton Athletic)

Defenders

Rachel McLauchlan (Rangers)
Kirsty Smith (Manchester United)
Nicola Docherty (Rangers)
Brianna Westrup (Rangers)
Rachel Corsie (Kansas City)
Sophie Howard (Leicester City)
Leah Eddie (Hibernian)

Midfielders

Lucy Graham (Everton)
Kim Little (Arsenal)
Caroline Weir (Manchester City)
Christie Murray (Birmingham City)
Chloe Arthur (Aston Villa)
Lisa Robertson (Celtic)

Forwards

Christy Grimshaw (AC Milan)
Fiona Brown (Rosengard)
Claire Emslie (Everton)
Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea)
Lana Clelland (Fiorentina)
Kirsty Hanson (Manchester United)
Lizzie Arnot (Rangers)