Scott Bain has revealed his surprise Scotland call-up means he will have to sacrifice his holiday to visit girlfriend Erin in Australia.
The Dundee keeper was named in the national squad on Monday for the June 5 friendly at Easter Road against Qatar and the crunch Euro 2016 qualifier against Ireland in Dublin eight days later.
The 23-year-old admitted his inclusion came as something of a shock to him, especially as he had already booked a flight to Australia to see Erin.
Bain, who has missed the last two games for the Dark Blues because of a knee injury, broke the news to her that he had been selected by Scotland boss Gordon Strachan and then had to tell her it also meant he had to cancel his trip Down Under.
And he joked that if he does gain a cap next month, he hopes it will not be at the expense of losing his girlfriend.
Bain said: “I found out when the manager phoned me on Sunday, the day before it was announced.
“It was a bit of a shock. I didn’t really expect it.
“I haven’t really been playing, I’ve been trying to get over this injury so it was all a bit of a shock to me.
“I’m just doing everything I can to get fit for the games.
“I had a holiday booked to Australia for the end of the season so I will have to cancel that.
“My girlfriend Erin is over in Perth so I was going to see her for three weeks.
“She will be disappointed. I might not have a girlfriend anymore!
“No, she’s delighted for me but is disappointed that I can’t go over.
“I booked it a while ago, probably around February or March because I didn’t have a clue that this would happen.
“I can’t even push the holiday back because she returns at the start of July so there is no point.
“I won’t be done with Scotland until the middle of June.”
Bain’s Scotland call-up is all the more remarkable as this has been his first season as a full-time player.
Before joining Dundee last summer, he had spent three seasons as a part-timer at Alloa under Paul Hartley after being released by Aberdeen.
For his first two campaigns with the Wasps, Bain combined playing with working as a labourer, a job he disliked so much it led to him being called the “hide and seek champion” by workmates.
He said: “I was definitely surprised when I got released by Aberdeen.
“But to be honest, it was probably the best thing for me to go and play games. I played about 100 for Alloa in three years and wouldn’t have got them had I stayed at Aberdeen.
“That allowed me to come back to full-time football with Dundee and make the step up with a lot more ease.
“I was labouring for the first two years at Alloa. They were tough times long days and long nights but obviously it was worth it.
“It was just typical gopher stuff running for plasterboard sheets, lifting wood, that kind of thing. It was tough but I’m glad I did it. It’s given me everything I have at this moment.
“It made me more determined to get where I wanted to be. It’s hard when you are a young lad and you leave a club like Aberdeen. You leave school early to go full-time don’t you?
“It’s hard to then get a job. It’s tough to do stuff while you are full time in terms of school-work etc so if it does go badly it’s hard to get a decent job.
“I knew when I was working on the building site that I didn’t want to be there. Every day I’d get called the hide and seek champion because it just wasn’t me.
“I knew where I wanted to be and thankfully I got there.
“I can’t say I knew then I would get a Scotland call-up. I knew I’d get back full-time just through getting through the leagues with good performances.
“I knew I’d get a chance, it was just a matter of when. I’d a few sniffs at the end of each year I was at Alloa so I knew I’d eventually get my chance. It was just a question of who would take that chance.”
Bain admitted he cannot wait to link up with the Scotland squad and to work alongside his hero, former Hearts stopper Craig Gordon.
He added: “I have watched all these guys but being a Hearts fan I watched Craig when he was my age.
“It is going to be great training with these guys and working with (Scotland goalkeeping coach) Jim Stewart as well.
“Once you get your foot through the door you need to make sure you do enough and give a good account of yourself.
“I want to come away being proud of what I have done and having given the manager something to think about the next time.
“The three guys Scotland have at the moment are top class. I just need to make sure I keep playing well every week and the manager will keep me in mind for the future.
“Once you are in you get hungry and want more. I just need to be patient and enjoy the experience as much as I can.”