A Scot who has never played more than five-a-side or school league football matches has made his first appearance in a World Cup qualifier.
Ross Andrew got the nod from British Virgin Islands’ scouts this month and has been on a high
ever since.
The 31-year-old walked on to the pitch as the BVI took on Bonaire in the Concacaf Nations League on Friday, the first stage in qualifying for the 2020 World Cup.
He told the Record: “I have always played football and I’m a big Aberdeen fan.
“But I’ve never done more than local level or five-a-side, so this was something else.”
Construction manager Ross wasn’t a star player in school.
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Hailing from Aberdeen, he’s lived on the Caribbean island of Virgin Gorda for the past five years, working for tycoon Richard Branson.
In a desperate bid to make up numbers for the upcoming qualifiers, BVI scouts sent flyers round all the islands six weeks before the game.
Ross thought he’d give international level a go and went to trials on neighbouring island Tortola, the largest in the BVI.
To his surprise, he scored a place on the team and signed up for a week of intense training before the match.
He said: “To be honest, life is so relaxed and slow-paced here that I’m not surprised that flyers went out to recruit players. I took a week off work to train with the team and we played on Friday on the island of Anguilla.
“It was quite hard going, as I’m not as fit as I should be.
“I got called up at half-time to play and was really nervous.
“Family and friends back in Scotland were all excited for me – so there was no pressure.”
While BVI lost 2-1 to Bonaire, Ross managed to win a penalty for his side and is now basking in the glory of his appearance, much to the delight of friends back home.
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He joked: “Since I chose to represent the BVI, it now rules me out getting selected for Scotland so it was a hard decision.
“Especially after Scotland’s recent performance against the mighty Kazakhstan, it’s played heavily on my mind.
“I’m still in touch with all of the BVI coaches and there may be another opportunity to play in July.
“We’ll see what happens.”
