Craig Mackail-Smith
Image by: Paul Hazlewood
PUBLISHED
08:00 4th September 2014
by James Hilsum
I’ll be doing everything I can at Brighton and if I get back into the Scotland squad, then I’ll be over the moon."
Craig Mackail-Smith
Craig Mackail-Smith
Craig Mackail-Smith aims to follow in the footsteps of Brighton & Hove Albion captain Gordon Greer and earn a recall into the Scotland squad.Greer, along with team-mates Joao Teixeira, Aaron Hughes and Jake Forster-Caskey, is away on international duty and Mackail-Smith says he will do everything possible to work his way into Gordon Strachan’s plans.
He told seagulls.co.uk, “It’s all down to me. I’ve got to make sure that I perform well for Brighton and score goals on a regular basis to give myself an opportunity to get drafted back into the Scotland squad.
“It’s great to have lots of internationals in the team and they can go away and have a great experience playing against other national sides and world-class players. They’ll come back fit and raring to go again come a week Saturday.
“I’ll be doing everything I can at Brighton and if I get back into the Scotland squad, then I’ll be over the moon.”
[h=2]LATEST NEWS FROM SEAGULLS.CO.UK[/h]
- TRANSFER WINDOW ROUND-UP
- BURTON SALE DATE
- STOCKDALE CLAIMS AN ASSIST!
- HYYPIA'S WELCOME BREAK
- WINTER HOME TICKETS ON SALE TUESDAY
The forward says there has been no respite for the remaining Albion players, who have been put through their paces at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre to maintain their fitness levels.He also believes that the lull in club fixtures may disrupt the side’s momentum after an unbeaten run of form, but on the flip side, believes the break could be beneficial for the team.
“It’s easier when you have games coming thick and fast as players can be introduced to things quicker and they get into the swing of things straight away. They probably wish the international break was further away so they can get involved in more games.
“We have started to perform quite well recently and are unbeaten in our last four games, so you don’t want to take that momentum away, but in hindsight, maybe the team needs a break after an intense month to be refreshed and ready go next week.
“The sessions have not differed too much, but with a few of the players being away, we can’t do too much in terms of shape or positional play.
“We’ve done a bit of transitional play from attacking to defending and vice-versa along with a number of ball exercises to keep our fitness levels up.
“We have to make sure that we train hard in these next couple of weeks and be ready to hit the ground running against Brentford.”
[h=2]UPCOMING HOME FIXTURES[/h] [h=3]ALBION V blackpool
[/h] saturday 20TH september, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]ALBION V cardiff
[/h] TUESDAY 30th september, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
[h=3]Albion v middlesbrough
[/h] saturDAY 18TH october, kick-off 3pm
Original article