West Ham United midfielder Andy Irving described his first Scotland cap as ‘perfect’ after coming on at the same time as childhood schoolfriend Josh Doig on Monday evening.
Irving, who made his Premier League breakthrough this season just gone, making ten top-flight appearances for the Irons, was introduced as a second-half substitute in Liechtenstein, showing his quality on the ball as former West Ham coach Steve Clarke’s Scotland secured a welcome and deserved win over Liechtenstein thanks to a hat-trick from Torino striker Ché Adams and one from Ipswich Town’s George Hirst.
Having watched Friday’s defeat by Iceland in Glasgow from the substitutes’ bench, the 25-year-old was given a chance to impress at Rheinparkstadion in Vaduz, where he became West Ham’s seventh senior Scotland international after John Dick, Ray Stewart, Frank McAvennie, Christian Dailly, Don Hutchison and Robert Snodgrass.
And in a bizarre twist of fate, Irving, who replaced Aston Villa's John McGinn with 31 minutes to play, was introduced alongside Doig, with the pair having attended Newcraighall Primary School and then Portobello High School together in Edinburgh.
The pair were also teammates at Hearts before Doig, now of Serie A side US Sassuolo Calcio, ended up at city rivals Hibernian.
Their careers may have since taken them on divergent routes, but football has a funny way of reuniting people, and for Irving and Doig, that was in the Vaduz sunshine on Monday.
First time in dark blue 🏴
Congrats, Andy!#LIESCO pic.twitter.com/S0RqcA7pbr— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 10, 2025
“I’m absolutely delighted to have got my first cap for Scotland, the feeling that I had coming on and after the game was amazing and something that makes me and my family very proud, and I want it to be the first of many," Irving beamed.
“I loved it. I’m just over the moon, to be honest, to make my Scotland debut and get my first cap. I’m just absolutely delighted.
“It’s amazing. It’s something that you dream of as a kid, playing for your country. Obviously, the aim now is to play for Scotland as many times as I possibly can.
“I’m just absolutely buzzing that I’ve finally got my first cap.
“Having played throughout the youth groups, I know how proud that made me feel. To make it for the national team, I’m just delighted. I’m just so happy.
“Me and Doigy coming on at the same time was just incredible. We were at the same primary school and the same high school, and our Dads are really good mates. They played at Edinburgh City together, so coming on with Doigy was perfect.
“I’m two years older, but we used to play in the playground when we were kids at primary school. You couldn’t really write it, to be honest.”
