Brown keeps faith in new recruits

Scotland achieved a creditable draw with Holland

Scotland boss Craig Brown has kept faith with his recent emergency recruits ahead of the friendly international against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on 30 May.

Gary Naysmith, Paul Telfer, Gary Holt and veteran Ian Durrant have all been drafted in as late replacements in the last two friendlies against France and Holland.

Scotland regulars such as Colin Hendry, Callum Davidson, David Weir, Tom Boyd and Jackie McNamara are all ruled out of the game against McCarthy's side and Brown has had no hesitation in selecting players who have previously helped him out.

In their last match, Scotland's defence produced a resolute display which enabled the team to achieve a creditable 0-0 draw against the Netherlands in Arnhem.

Brown said: "Gary Holt impressed me with his attitude during the training sessions in Holland. He has a good engine and a lot of enthusiasm which can complement the talent and skill we have in the middle of the park.

"We are without five players who would have been in the first-choice squad, but it's a great chance for someone like Gary Naysmith to come in and show what he can do."

Brown resisted the temptation to experiment further by leaving Hibernian striker Kenny Miller with the Scotland Under-21s squad who face their Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts in the President's Cup.

Squad: Gould (Celtic), Sullivan (Wimbledon), Dailly (Blackburn), Elliott (Leicester), Naysmith (Hearts), O'Neil (Wolfsburg), Ritchie (Bolton), Telfer (Coventry), Burley (Derby), Cameron (Hearts), Durrant (Kilmarnock), Ferguson (Rangers), Holt (Kilmarnock), Johnston (Sunderland), Lambert (Celtic), Burchill (Celtic), Dodds (Rangers), Gallacher (Newcastle), Hutchison (Everton), McCann (Rangers).