Scotland’s Under-21s complete their UEFA Under-21 Championship qualification campaign by hosting England this evening at Tynecastle Park.
Hibs’ defender Ryan Porteous was a stand-out for Scotland in Ukraine last week and he is now looking forward to testing himself against England alongside team-mates Stevie Mallan and Oli Shaw.
He said: “Facing England with Scotland is like a derby when Hibs play Hearts. I really enjoyed the game in Toulon.
“We did well in the first half and the whole 15 minutes of the team talk was all about us keeping it tight and not letting them come at us.
“Then they scored three goals in the first 25 minutes of the second half. They came flying out of the traps at half-time.
“Perhaps we were just not experienced enough as a team to deal with the quality England had. We want to be ready for what they have this time.
“It doesn’t matter what the competition is or if it’s a friendly. If it’s against England we’ll do everything we can to win it.
“It’s not going to be a friendly match. It will be a heated game. We want to win it.”
The Hibs’ youngster who has been a regular in the first team this season insists that the ‘promotion’ of fellow defender Scott McKenna to the Scotland international team has been an inspiration.
He continued: “I think Scott (McKenna) has shown what can be done. A couple of years ago he was struggling to get a game at Ayr United but last season he was one of the best centre-backs in the league. Now he’s up there as one of the country’s best.
“Scott has shown there’s a massive chance to take there. You look up to players like him and Jack Hendry
“The physical side is definitely one of my strong points and the part of the game I enjoy most. The type of tackles I make is something the coaching staff at Hibs and Scotland have worked on quite closely.
“It’s about experience, playing games, knowing when to tackle and when to pull out. It’s something I’ve learned. I’ve done a lot of work and I’m benefiting from it.
“A big tackle, interception or block can lift the team and sometimes the crowd.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
