Barry Bannon owes Scotland big time after club woes

Barry Bannan wants to repay Scotland.

The Bolton midfielder admits being involved with the Dark Blues kept him going during his club struggles.

Now the 25-year-old is desperate to reduce his debt by ensuring the country’s Euro 2016 bid stays on track against Gibraltar.

Gordon Strachan’s side host the group D minnows at Hampden a week today, knowing that anything other than victory could have a catastrophic impact on the nation’s hopes of reaching a major Finals for the first time since 1998.

The bookmakers believe it won’t come to that, offering prices as big as 50/1 against a Gibraltar victory.

But Bannan, rejuvenated thanks to a winter loan switch from Crystal Palace to Neil Lennon’s Bolton and back playing regular first-team football, insists victory can’t be taken for granted.

“It is going to be a different challenge completely,” he said, referencing the recent clashes with England and the Republic of Ireland, where Scotland came under sustained pressure.

“There are games when you know you are going to have sit in and hit on the counter. But against Gibraltar we can be fairly sure in advance we will have most of the ball.

“So it is going to be about what we can do with that possession to hurt them. Hopefully we have enough on the day to get the win we need.

“The manager has used me for these types of games in the past, and it would be good to be involved again this time.”

Bannan, who nearly joined Celtic ahead of Bolton in the transfer window, is also in contention for Wednesday night’s friendly against Northern Ireland.

He acknowledges Gordon Strachan has played him pretty much in all sorts of matches, even to the extent of disregarding his lack of club action.

“There have definitely been times when the national team has been keeping me going,” he said. “At Crystal Palace, it was getting to the stage where I was playing a couple of games and then going out of the team for a month.

“You could get down from that. But I kept getting picked for Scotland and played in big, big games like Germany away and England at Celtic Park and that would lift me up again.”

And having been helped by the country, the midfielder made sure to put it first when it came to choosing his latest club.

“Scotland was a big factor in the move to Bolton,” he admitted.

“Everyone can see there is a lot of competition in the group just now, with central midfield the most competitive area of all.

“There are so many Scottish players on fire, and the gaffer has probably left out a lot of guys who could warrant a place in the team.

“But I’m just happy that I am out playing now and showing people that I am still here and ready to play.

“Neil Lennon promised me that would happen if I came to Bolton, and it has turned out to be a brilliant move for me.”

Tickets for Scotland v Northern Ireland on Wednesday (Kick-off 7.45pm) are available via www.scottishfa.co.uk or 0844 875 1873.