Scotland's 'team of brothers' backed to make history as John McGinn's sauna stories hailed for uniting squad

Called up by Steve Clarke for the first time since last June following a strong start to the year with club side Middlesbrough, Conway’s eight goals have put the Teessiders on the cusp of automatic promotion from the EFL Championship with just seven gams remaining.

With his sights now firmly focused on firing Kim Hellberg’s side back to the English Premier League and sealing a place in Clarke’s squad for the upcoming World Cup, the 23-year-old is aiming to use the parallels between both club and country to make a major impact in Scotland’s upcoming games.

“My first camp with Scotland was the Euros two years ago,” said Conway. “I learned so much from that and to say that I went there and experienced a major tournament even though I didn’t play. I feel like I'd be naïve to say that I deserved to be playing when I was out there. But the experience that I got from it definitely made me a better player

“I signed for Middlesbrough that summer. Ever since going there, I feel like I’ve developed into more of a leader, more of a different player and in a good way. I feel like I’ve improved so much. I find myself growing at club level and where I’m playing now I think we’re doing well. I want to bring that winning mentality to Scotland and try and make my mark.”

Left out of the last camp as Scotland sealed their place at the World Cup with a dramatic 4-2 win over Denmark in November, he admits the wild scenes of celebration were used as a major motivator for his hopes of getting back into the squad. Forced to watch that game from the comfort of his home, Conway pointed to the squad’s ‘family-feel’ as a key reason for their recent success and views it as Scotland’s superpower as they bid to make the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time in their history this summer.

“Going away with your country, you speak to so many players who go away with their international sides that it can be sometimes a bit boring,” admitted Conway. “But I feel like here we don't really have that culture. I feel like everyone comes in, has a laugh, you go to the spa in the evening, you’ve got John McGinn telling you stories in the sauna. It's a bit crazy to be honest. But just coming away and just laughing and joking all the time, that’s what brings you all closer together.

“I spoke to Robbo [Andy Robertson] a few days ago about it and he said that in the past few years, the togetherness of the squad, has been really special. When you feel like you’re playing with your brothers and you’re playing with your mates, that’s when you enjoy playing football. That’s when you want to fight for each other, to do the dirty stuff for each other.

“It's more enjoyable, rather than feeling like it's a job and a chore at times. I feel like I speak on behalf of the whole squad that we all enjoy coming away together and enjoy that side of things as well as the playing side.”

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