Eamonn Brophy admits he’s gutted a foot injury robbed him of the chance to impress Steve Clarke again and muscle his way into Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad.
But that disappointment won’t stop him cheering on his country when they take on the Czech Republic in their group opener next month.
Former St Mirren defender Clarke handed Brophy his international debut back in June 2019 in a 2-1 victory over Cyprus at Hampden.
The 25-year-old wishes he’d had the chance to prove his worth to his former Killie boss in the second half of the season after moving to Saints, but injury problems reduced him to just a handful of appearances for the Paisley club.
That means Brophy will be watching the major tournament as a member of the Tartan Army, but he insists he can make it back to the international fold once his fitness is back under control.
Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, he said: “I feel I can get back to international level, for sure.
“But I’ve had a frustrating season altogether with injuries and uncertainty as to where I was going to be.
“I’m looking forward to getting my head down here now and pushing on.
“To be honest, when I signed here the Euros was in the back of my mind.
“My main focus was on hitting the ground running with St Mirren.
“Unfortunately with the injury I wasn’t able to do that. Hopefully next season I can kick on again and score lots of goals.
“Clarke knows what I can do. I worked with him for two years at Killie and we were obviously very successful.
“He knows he can trust me. But I need to get back to what I was doing and I know I can prove to him I can reach that level again.
“That starts with training hard here, making my mark for St Mirren and then all that bonus stuff takes care of itself.
“I’ll be like everyone else, supporting Scotland this summer.
“It’s a great occasion for the entire country, the first time we’ve been there for 20-odd years.
“I’m looking forward to the games and I’ll wish the boys all the best before the games when they come.”
After months on the treatment table, Brophy was finally able to mark his return back from injury with a substitute appearance in St Mirren’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with St Johnstone.
He also picked up is first start in months in the Buddies’ final game of the season against Dundee United.
The confident striker is looking forward to enjoying a full pre-season with his teammates to ensure he’s firing on all cylinders when the Saints return to action in the League Cup in early July.
Brophy added: “It was just nice to get out there against Dundee United.
“Obviously I wasn’t match sharp at all, as you’d expect for being out for three months.
“It felt good to start the last game of the season and know I’ll be fully fit coming back in the summer.
“I’m looking forward to getting a full pre-season under my belt.
“That will make a big difference.
“Hopefully it’ll be a successful campaign for me personally, but more importantly for the team as well.
“When I spoke to Jim back in January he was telling me about his plans for me and the team and it was something I wanted to be part of.
“It’s not gone to plan with the injury. I wasn’t even aware of it at all back in July, but I’m glad I’ve got that fixed now so I’m totally ready to go next season.”
