Teenager Curtis given maiden Scotland call-up

Findlay Curtis is on loan at Kilmarnock from Rangers Teenage Kilmarnock winger Findlay Curtis is a surprise inclusion in Steve Clarke's Scotland squad for two friendly matches later this month. Curtis, 19, joined Kilmarnock on loan from Rangers in January having played 26 times in an impressive first half of the campaign at Ibrox. With Bournemouth's Ben Gannon-Doak just back from injury and Scotland lacking depth in wide attacking areas, Curtis has been given his first chance to impress as Clarke prepares to lead Scotland at the World Cup finals in June. Scotland host Japan at Hampden on Saturday 28 March before taking on Ivory Coast at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday 31 March. Wrexham centre-back Dominic Hyam and Middlesbrough striker Tommy Conway have also been recalled to join an otherwise settled squad. Everton right-back Nathan Patterson is also included having played no part in Scotland's successful World Cup qualifying campaign in the autumn because of injury. Napoli's Billy Gilmour is back after missing the last camp through injury, while his club team-mate Scott McTominay and Aston Villa's John McGinn are both in as expected after recently returning to action. Gannon-Doak, a key part of Scotland ending a 28-year wait to reach a men's World Cup finals, made his return to the Bournemouth squad on Saturday but has been left out by Clarke while he aims to return to full fitness. Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland also misses out as he nears a return for his club, and Aaron Hickey is sidelined too. There is no place for Hellas Verona striker Kieron Bowie following his January switch from Hibernian. Falkirk's Scott Bain is the only goalkeeper included currently playing regularly, with Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly second choice at Nottingham Forest and Rangers respectively. Craig Gordon, who took over from Gunn for the crucial qualifiers against Greece and Denmark, is out with a shoulder problem. Curtis' inclusion is a surprise given that in the last international window in November, when Scotland beat Denmark to qualify for the World Cup, he was left out of the Scotland Under-21 squad. Head coach Scot Gemmill said at the time it was because they wanted to assess some other players closely, rather than anything Curtis had done. The 19-year-old started the season at Rangers strongly, scoring against Panathinaikos and St Mirren as his team struggled. When manager Russell Martin was replaced by Danny Rohl in October, Curtis' minutes dropped although he still played a part - setting up a goal against Porto in January - before departing for Rugby Park on a loan deal until the end of the season. Curtis has played six times in the Scottish Premiership since, helping Neil McCann's Kilmarnock improve as they seek to avoid relegation. Now he has been given a chance with Gannon-Doak working his way back to full health to prove he can be a valuable asset for his country. "It's unbelievable, I didn't expect it at such a young age but it's a dream come true and I just can't wait to get going," Curtis told Kilmarnock's in-house media channel. "I got a call yesterday from the gaffer here [McCann] and he said you're in the consideration set-up, and I'm thinking to myself 'It's mental'. Then he phoned me and said I'm in the full squad. "I was bursting with pride and told my mum and dad. My mum started crying. It's huge." Goalkeepers: Scott Bain (Falkirk), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers). Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Dominic Hyam (Wrexham), Jack Hendry (Al-Etiffaq), Ross McCrorie (Bristol City), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Nathan Patterson (Everton), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic). 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