Gordon Shepherd with the Scotland squad. Picture Nigel Duncan Media

Emily Dark is the youngest player ever to be called up by the current Scotland senior women’s coach.

If the Tayside-based player gets the nod to play against Ireland later this month then she will be two months into her 17th year.

And she will then eclipse the previous youngest who was her Dundee Wanderers team-mate Charlotte Watson who was three months short of her 18th birthday when she was capped for the first time.

Dark is one of five newcomers named by coach Gordon Shepherd, a fellow Dundonian, in the squad for three matches at Banbridge against Ireland from October 22 to 25.

The others are Laura Swanson, Aussie-born Danie McMurray, who qualifies by relatives, Rachael Mack and Lorna Cruickshank

The teams met back in August at RABO EuroHockey Championships 2017 in Amsterdam, battling out a close 0-0 draw.

But Glasgow-based Shepherd and his Irish counterpart have agreed not to field full-strength line-ups.

They want to give fringe players a chance with a long-term view looking towards the Commonwealth Games next year.

Shepherd said: “I have decided to use these games to give players who were not selected this summer for the World League semi-final and European Championships an opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the squad that will be selected for warm weather training in January.

“The January camp will be the selection phase for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.”

He added: “There are potentially five new caps and I am looking forward to seeing them in this environment.

“Emily will be the youngest player that I have given a cap to. She is an exciting prospect and has progressed massively this year.”

SQUAD: Lucy Camlin, Emily Newlands (Watsonians), Danie McMurray, Kareena Cuthbert and Becky Ward (Western Wildcats), Karin Belch, Katie Robertson, Sarah Jamieson (Grove Menzieshill), Bex Condie (University of Birmingham), Laura Swanson (Edinburgh University), Kate Holmes (Clifton Robinsons HC), Emily Dark, Charlotte Watson (Dundee Wanderers), Fiona Bruce (Wimbledon), Rachael Mack (Leicester), Lucy Lanigan (Clydesdale Western), Millie Brown, Fiona Burnet (Clydesdale Western), Lorna Cruickshank (Durham University)

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