Hibs run aids Booth in bid for U-21 caps

CALLUM BOOTH reckons that getting a run of games in the SPL with Hibs can help him become a success at international level too.

The 19-year-old joined up with the rest of his Scotland Under-21 team-mates today for a three-day training camp in West Kilbride as part of their preparations ahead of the qualifying campaign for the UEFA 2013 Under-21 Championships.

Defender Booth made his debut for Billy Stark's side in a friendly against Northern Ireland last November but at that point was still out on loan to Brechin City. Now that he's back at Easter Road, and beginning to make his mark on the first team, he's hoping that he can build his career at both domestic and international level.

Booth has featured in Hibs' last four matches in the league and is hoping manager Colin Calderwood will give him the green light to face Kilmarnock in the SPL this weekend.

He says being included in the Hibs side in recent weeks has given him a huge confidence boost, admitting: "It's good to be called back into the Under-21s squad and I'm looking forward to the next few days at the training camp.

"Obviously, the last time I played for them was a couple of months ago and I was on loan at Brechin and hadn't played in the SPL. Now I am fortunate enough to have played a few games for Hibs and feel that I'm improving game by game. I feel confident.

"Everyone is excited to be involved in Scotland's next qualifying campaign and it should be a good experience."

Over the course of the next three days, the Under-21s will play two closed-doors games ahead of a European qualifying campaign which will see them take on Holland, Austria, Bulgaria and Luxembourg.