Russell Martin & Ikechi Anya share 10-year journey
Released by Brighton and Oxford United respectively, the decade since has seen them follow two of the unlikeliest paths to international football which now see them both as key figures in the Scotland side preparing for two major fixtures at Celtic Park in the coming days.
Norwich City defender Martin, who qualifies for Scotland through his father, eventually made the grade by way of Peterborough United. Watford winger Anya’s route was more circuitous, taking the Glasgow-born son of a Nigerian scientist into non-league football and Glenn Hoddle’s academy before his talents were fulfilled.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAnya has become a Tartan Army favourite since being called up by Gordon Strachan last year, adding pace and verve to a Scotland side with genuine hopes of reaching the Euro 2016 finals.
Martin, who has been a squad member since 2011, has taken great delight in being reunited with Anya in the dark blue of a country neither of them could have seriously anticipated playing for when they first met back in 2004.
“Kech and I played in the Wycombe youth team together and then also came through into the first team there,” recalls Martin. “It’s been great to see the journey he has been on and how far he has come. He always had ability and a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite come through at the time with Wycombe. He’s had to do it the hard way and he’s had a long old journey.
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTSMAN
• Subscribe to our daily newsletter (requires registration) and get the latest news, sport and business headlines delivered to your inbox every morning
“I don’t think he had the mentality to cope with it when he was 17 and 18, which a lot of players don’t. At that age, when you work hard and have a lot of ability, you can still be hard on yourself. You need a mentor to put an arm around you and point you in the right direction.
“At Wycombe at that time, there were a lot of different managers and Kech lost his way a little bit. But, after leaving Wycombe, he worked hard to get himself back on track. I always kept an eye on his progress and caught up with him occasionally – like when he played for Northampton when I was with Peterborough and I marked him out of the game!
“But, seriously, he made quite a bold decision to try his luck in Spain and explore different things. He got signed by Sevilla’s B team, then to Granada, which got him the move to Watford. There was no doubt a player of his ability was going to come into senior football at some point, it was just a question of at what level. He’s a lot stronger for his experiences and now he is one of the better players in the English Championship.
“Since he has been with Scotland, he has been superb on the international stage. It’s been great for him. When we first met in 2004, I didn’t even know I was Scottish, never mind that Kech was!
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“No, we did both know and we had a chat about it. There was talk of me getting a Scotland under-21 call-up at the time, but it didn’t quite happen. Kech told me he was born in Scotland, so there was always that possibility. He’s done really well and is still a humble lad. I don’t think he is quite aware of how well he has done.
“He is the kind of player who can produce something out of nothing. Having him as an outlet on the counter-attack has been really valuable for us, as proven by his goal against Germany in Dortmund. I think his pace scares defenders. The manager has put a lot of trust in us and we just want to keep repaying him.
“I’m well aware of how we’ve both done and how far we have come. I’m proud of that and glad I’ve done it this way. But you don’t want to reflect too much. If you stand still in this game, someone is ready to take your place.
“So you don’t sit around and get nostalgic, although I’m sure we will do when we’ve both retired and meet up to reflect. Right now, I’m enjoying every minute of it because, even five or six years ago, if someone had told me I’d be playing for Scotland against the world champions, or this game against Ireland on Friday or even the friendly against England next Tuesday, I’d have thought they were mad.” The presence of Brighton-born Martin and the cosmopolitan Anya in the Scotland squad is another reminder of how a sense of identity in international football has changed in recent years.
It is an issue which will be brought into sharp focus at Celtic Park on Friday night if the Glaswegian duo of James McCarthy and Aiden McGeady both feature in the Republic of Ireland line-up. “I don’t know too much about that, to be honest,” said Martin. “A lot of the lads in our squad are friends with them and have played with them and against them.
“A lot of people regard me as English, but I’m playing for Scotland. All I know is that I’m extremely proud to play for Scotland and when I pull on the blue shirt, I feel as Scottish as anyone. That’s all that matters, really.
“Obviously for James and Aiden, I would guess it’s the same thing. But I don’t think it will be a problem for me if I play against England next week. I’m not a big enough player to be booed by the England fans – half of them won’t know who I am!”
SCOTSMAN TABLET AND IPHONE APPS