Glynn on fast track to success

Blair Glynn read about the Cerebral Palsy Scotland team for the first time just three months ago, but on Tuesday he will be part of the hosts` squad for a European tournament.

The 24-year-old successfully came through two trials to force his way into the pool for the 11-day tournament, which takes place at the Toryglen regional football centre in Glasgow.

Glynn, from Tranent in East Lothian, said: "I had a stroke when I was 11 but just carried on playing normal football because I didn`t know this level existed. It was a stroke down my right-hand side. I had played Under-18s and Under-21s football and played at amateur level last year. About three months ago I read about the team on the SFA website and wrote to the coach and got involved."

Glynn added: "It`s a really, really high standard. I`ve had to train for weeks.

"I`m so excited, it`s unbelievable. I`ve been quite a lot of times with my friends and family to watch Scotland but to actually put a Scotland shirt on, listen to the national anthem and go out and play, is going to be fantastic."

Graeme Paterson is a more experienced member of the squad, with four years service despite being just 21.

And he is optimistic that Scotland, who begin their campaign at the seven-a-side tournament with a group game against Denmark tomorrow night, can take advantage of their host nation status.

"I have played in four major tournaments now," said Paterson, who is originally from Duns.

"I was away in Beijing for the Paralympic Games and I`ve played in European and World championships. We finished sixth with Scotland in Brazil.

"When I first came in we did have a good squad but the standard is getting higher and higher. You need to train hard to keep in the squad."