Stephen Welsh | Scotland call-up a dream come true

Stephen Welsh says receiving his first senior Scotland call-up is a “dream come true” after the Swansea City defender was selected in Sébastien Pocognoli first squad.

Welsh will join up with Scotland ahead of their UEFA Nations League campaign, with their opening fixture coming against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday, September 26, before they face Switzerland and North Macedonia.

The 25-year-old received the news on Sunday afternoon and admits he was delighted to see his name included after an impressive start to life at Swansea City, with the defender now relishing the chance to link up with the national team for the first time.

“I received the call on Sunday afternoon and I was delighted to get the call. I'm just really looking forward to meeting up with the squad,” said Welsh.

“During the call he (Pocognoli) just explained that he thinks I'll be able to fit into his system, the way he wants to play football and the way he sees his team playing.

“It's a dream come true for any young Scottish footballer to get the call-up to your national team. It's certainly one of the biggest achievements you can have.”

Welsh could also come up against Swansea team-mate Zan Vipotnik when Scotland face Slovenia, with the pair potentially lining up on opposite sides in the opening Nations League fixture.

The Scots then host Switzerland at Hampden on Tuesday, September 29, before travelling to Skopje to face North Macedonia on Saturday, October 3. Their final Group B1 fixture against Slovenia takes place at Hampden on Tuesday, October 6.

Welsh has quickly settled into his new surroundings since joining Swansea from his boyhood club Celtic in the summer, playing his part as the Swans have made a strong start to the Championship campaign.

The Swans currently sit joint-top of the Championship having picked up 14 points from their opening seven matches, and while Welsh is pleased with the start, he knows there is plenty more to come.

“We've been excellent so far, and pretty much all of the games have been positive, apart from the Southampton one, where we probably let ourselves down a little bit,” he added.

“But I think it's been a positive start. The way the manager wants us to play, how he's set us up so far, has been positive.

“I think we've really bought into how he wants to play and how we want to attack teams, the counter-press and stuff, and the way we want to defend as a team.

“I think the clean sheets speak for themselves. The way we've been playing and the way the squad is off the pitch as well, during training, around the building, that goes onto the pitch.

“You can see how close we are as a team.”

Before turning his attention to Scotland, Welsh and his Swansea teammates face Lincoln City on Saturday in their final fixture before the international break.

The Swans have had a full week to prepare for the trip following a hectic run of fixtures, and Welsh is expecting another tough test against the newly promoted side.

“It's been a tough training week. I think it's the first time in probably the last three or four weeks that we've had a full week to prepare for a game,"he continued. 

“So that's nice, to properly recover from a hectic schedule, which it has been.

“We’re expecting a really tough game. They've been really good since they've come up. They have had good results, the way they're playing is really suiting the league, and we know it's going to be tough.

“They're going to make it hard for us, but it's about us taking the game to them, playing the way that we want to play, and hopefully coming away with another win.”

And with another strong, sell-out travelling support expected at Lincoln, Welsh knows the Jack Army will once again play an important role.

“The fans were excellent on Saturday. The weather was shocking, but they stayed in their numbers and made a really good atmosphere," he added.

“So, for them to come to a tough away day, we're going to need their support. I’m buzzing that they're all going to be there.”