Archie Meekison insists his Scotland under-21 debut will serve as a welcome confidence boost as he aims to kick-start his club campaign with Dundee United.
The classy playmaker played the final half-hour at St Mirren’s SMISA Stadium on Sunday as Scot Gemmill’s side drew 1-1 against their Northern Ireland counterparts.
Meekison, 20, was a late call-up to the group — getting the nod on Friday afternoon — and appeared determined to make up for lost time. His deep corner-kick almost created a late winner, with Josh Mulligan’s header blocked on the line.
And a sumptuous pirouette on the touchline was a moment of magic during what threatened to be a pedestrian finale to the friendly.
“When I come on, especially in those types of games, there is nothing you should be worried about,” Meekison told Courier Sport.
“Scot (Gemmill) told me, ‘just be positive, always on the half-turn and looking to play forward’. That gave me a lot of confidence — that’s the sort of football I want to play.
“Skills like that (video below) will always come with confidence and I maybe need to show that a little more when I’m on the park.”
The silky wee spin referenced in the article ✨️🌪
🎥 // @PhilKorklinpic.twitter.com/wtEZ92BVYE https://t.co/rK81r34mN8
— Alan Temple (@alanftemple) September 25, 2022
Meekison was also named in the under-21 squad for June’s competitive showdowns against Belgium and Denmark following a splendid conclusion to last season with Dundee United. He was an unused substitute for those games.
However, he has found first-team opportunities hard to come by this season, making just two appearances.
Chopping and changing
“When I got the call-up, the timing was a confidence boost for me,” continued Meekison.
“Hopefully, I can take that back to Dundee United and really see what we can do.
“Obviously, the club isn’t in the best place right now but we are looking to bounce back with a new manager.
“Ultimately, when you are a young lad seeing the team not doing well, you just want to be part of things and really help the team. I’ve got that determination.
“There has been a lot of chopping and changing at the club and a lot of unexpected things have happened.
“But every team has a dip in form and the hope is that ours has come right at the start!”
While a miserable start to the campaign means United can take nothing for granted, the visit of St Johnstone to Tannadice on Saturday would appear to be an inviting opportunity to claim a maiden Premiership win of the season.
Fresh ideas
Indeed, that is the first of three home games in a row — and will be Liam Fox’s dugout bow as permanent United head coach.
“Having that certainty — knowing ‘this is where we are, this is the situation going forward’ — is always important,” continued Meekison.
“I’m glad Foxy has got the job and now it’s about responding and seeing where we can push to.
“I think we’ve already seen a lot of Foxy’s ideas implemented since he came to the club, helping us to finish fourth. We already know a bit about what he wants to do. That’s a real positive.
“He’ll bring other fresh ideas to the table and we’ll all buy in to what he’s doing.”
Form and belief
As well as making his Scotland under-21s debut, Meekison was also man of the match for United’s reserves last week in a win over Queen’s Park.
All told, it has been a fine week for the youngster. He is staking his claim.
“After playing more games last season and getting in (June’s) Scotland under-21 squad, I felt a bit more mature coming back to Dundee United at the start of this campaign,” added Meekison.
“I feel more confident and think I’m playing better. It’s up to me to carry that form and belief into games and affect matches for the first-team.”
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