Injury-plagued Scotland man delivers timely strong performance in emotional win

Scotland international Ross McCrorie offered Steve Clarke a timely boost after making his return to first-team action in Bristol City’s emotional 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at the weekend.

The victory secured a vital three points on a difficult day for the Ashton Gate outfit, who were without head coach Liam Manning in the dugout following the devastating death of his baby son, Theo, last week.

Assistant manager Chris Hogg took charge of the team and praised his players’ performance, heralding their ability to ‘navigate’ the emotions of the game the Riverside Stadium. "I’m proud of the club, because it was never going to be a smooth performance where we were at our optimum," Hogg said.

Ross McCrorie on his Scotland debut vs Gibraltar in June. Cr: SNS Group. | Getty Images

“It was always going to be a case of riding the early emotions of the tribute, which I thought was beautiful for little Theo. I'm so proud of the players and thank them for this week and how they've been as human beings."

First-half goals from Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa secured the comfortable win for the Robins, but it was the comeback performance of McCrorie that caught the eye, with the 26-year-old keeping international team-mate Ben Doak quiet on his return to the starting XI.

The ex-Rangers man moved to Ashton Gate for a reported fee of £2million from Aberdeen in the summer of 2023, but was plagued by injury following his arrival and was unable to feature for the Bristol City first-team until January. Following his return to fitness though, he became a regular at right-wing back and his impressive displays secured him a spot in Scotland’s Euros squad, with both Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson ruled out.

Making his international debut in the 2-0 pre-tournament friendly win over Gibraltar, McCrorie was expected to challenge with Anthony Ralston for the right-back slot in Scotland’s Nations League campaign, but has been unable to contribute for club or country since due to a troublesome hamstring injury that he picked up in pre-season.

Ross McCrorie trains with former Bristol City team-mate Tommy Conway at Hampden Park ahead of Euro 2024 in the summer. Cr: SNS Group. | Getty Images

His impressive weekend return will provide a boost to Scotland, however, with McCrorie winning more duels than any other player on the pitch (14), and winning five of his several aerial duels in the game alongside three recoveries, two interceptions and two clearances, despite playing in an unfamiliar position of left-back.

With Scotland back in Nations League action against Croatia and Poland in mid-November, McCrorie will hope to maintain his fitness and build on his display at the Riverside Stadium and make his return to the international fold.