Che Adams, James Wilson, Tommy Conway and George Hirst are in the Scotland squad to face Iceland and Liechtenstein
Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland
International friendly: Scotland v Iceland
Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Friday, 6 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One Scotland and BBC Sport website & app, online text updates, listen on BBC Radio Scotland
It has been a year since a striker scored for Scotland.
Lawrence Shankland’s goal in a 2-2 draw with Finland before the European Championships was the last time a front man rippled the net for the national side.
In a competitive match, you have to go back to Shankland’s stoppage-time equaliser against Georgia in qualifying for the Euros in November 2023.
For the most part, it has not mattered.
Head coach Steve Clarke has managed to craft a way of playing throughout his tenure which has led to qualification for two major tournaments and, until their recent relegation, a rise to Nations League A.
That formula has allowed midfield duo Scott McTominay and John McGinn to thrive and grab the majority of the goals, with others chipping in at key times.
But, with a view to reaching next year’s World Cup finals and beyond, does it matter if the strikers are not scoring? And what options do Scotland have?
Adams ‘desperate to score’
Of the current group, Che Adams is the player with the most experience. He has played 37 times for Scotland since Clarke gave him his debut in 2021.
Having had a profitable first season in Serie A with Torino, scoring 10 goals, and the fact he can use his physical attributes to hold play up and allow the likes of McTominay and McGinn to get up the pitch, mean he is trusted with the jersey.
However, the former Southampton man has managed just six Scotland goals.
Five of them have come against the Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Moldova and Gibraltar, two of them winning goals. The last of them was against the Gibraltarians last June in a friendly.
Nonetheless, Adams has been a key player for Clarke – and that looks set to continue.
“To go out there and score 10 goals as a striker in Serie A is not easy – certainly at that level of club,” Clarke said.
“He’s come in, he’s finished, he’s been absolutely outstanding in training. Hopefully he can do that over the next two games as well and get a few goals for his country.
“I know he’s desperate to score, because he feels it’s been a long time since he scored for us.”
Could Conway or Hirst stake claim?
Middlesbrough’s Tommy Conway and Ipswich Town’s George Hirst are two of the other strikers in the squad who will be desperate for an opportunity.
Hirst scored five goals in an injury-hit spell in the Premier League and was often an impact player behind new Chelsea signing Liam Delap in the pecking order at relegated Ipswich.
Tall and another powerful runner, he is the type of profile Clarke likes.
He ranks favourably across the top five leagues in Europe this season for aerial duels won per 90 minutes, according to website Fbref.
His manager at Ipswich, Ciaran McKenna, also believes the best is yet to come from the 26-year-old, who he said was a big miss for his side when out this season.
“That profile of striker – tall, gangly, in their mid-20s – those strikers, they tend to develop a little bit later at times,” McKenna said.
“Often you look at some of the ones who’ve gone on to do really well – at 24, 25, they’re certainly not where they are at 28, 29, 30.
“I think he’s got a good chance to keep developing, he’s maturing well and it was a really good moment for him.”
Conway, at 22, also has the potential to grow. Yet he has already played more than 100 games in the Championship, arguably the most gruelling league in Europe.
At the beginning of the season, he was second choice at Boro after his switch from Bristol City.
However, following Emmanuel Latte Lath’s sale in January, he stepped in and ended the campaign with 13 goals.
Only four players scored more in the division. Of the players to score 13 or more, Conway had the best shot accuracy and was third for shot conversion rate.
He has yet to score in his four caps, three of which have been as a substitute, but he has already shown in his club career he grabs goals.
Might Wilson & Bowie be the future?
Clarke has called up 18-year-old James Wilson and 22-year-old Keiron Bowie for the friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein as well.
Both have had good seasons with Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian, respectively, albeit Bowie’s campaign was disrupted by a hamstring injury.
At around 6ft 3ins tall and four years older than Wilson, Bowie has the stature and strong running that makes him a fit for international football – and this Scotland side.
He also boasts the best shot conversion rate of the two in the Premiership and took all five of what data company Opta calls ‘Big Chances’ on offer to him.
It hints that Bowie could be a player with the clinical edge Scotland need.
The big caveat is he only started five of his 18 league matches for Hibs, and saved his best performances as a substitute, scoring five of his six goals from the bench.
Meanwhile, Wilson started 18 of his 24 Premiership games and scored five goals.
He played alongside Shankland and – in the second half of the campaign – Elton Kabangu as well.
Used a lot to try to stretch the play for a Hearts team that lacked pace and width, the teenager is still at a very early stage in his career, but he has still earned praise for his maturity.
“His movement is really top class in and around the box,” Wilson’s new head coach, Derek McInnes, said.
“He works in tight spaces and he’s proven that he’s a good footballer.”
Kieron Bowie could make his Scotland debut against Iceland or Liechtenstein
Having become the youngest Scotland international when he came on against Greece in March, Wilson played for the under-21s against Slovakia last month and is likely viewed as one for the future.
Bobby Wales, who earned a move to Swansea City after a breakthrough year at Kilmarnock, is in the same category.
Fellow Scottish Premiership forwards Shankland and Kevin Nisbet are at the other end of the scale, having been left out of the squad for these friendlies.
Clarke already knows what they can bring.
Nisbet was the most prolific this season, scoring 11 times for Aberdeen in the league as he regained form and fitness on loan from Millwall, while Shankland grabbed eight.
However, even when Shankland was in red-hot form last season and hitting 30 goals, he was not Clarke’s first-choice striker, having made just one competitive start for his country.
A lack of pace and physicality compared to Adams and Lyndon Dykes, who is currently injured, may have counted against him and Nisbet, as well as the fact they are not playing in as strong a league as Adams.
Do the strikers need to score?
Of all the striking options Clarke has, there is no standout player above the rest.
But does it really matter if the strikers are not scoring? Clarke himself is not too fussed, given what he says the central forward is in his team to do.
“I’m a little bit selfish when it comes to my strikers because I make them play a certain way that they link the team and bring the midfield players into the final third of the pitch,” he said.
“In terms of scoring goals, you can say they don’t always get enough goals, but for me, they make a major contribution in other areas that allow people like John McGinn, Scott McTominay to join in from the midfield and get the goals that way.
“Hopefully somebody like Lewis Ferguson, if he gets the chance to play, can also add goals because Lewis is another player that can arrive in the box and score goals. I wouldn’t be too harsh on my strikers.”
Others might disagree, but it is hard to argue that Clarke’s approach has not worked.
McTominay has scored 11 goals since the beginning of 2023 and is in the form of his life. McGinn is closing in on the all-time Scotland record of 30 goals with 20 in 75 caps.
As long as that continues, Clarke will be content.
They could still do with some help, mind you. Especially if Scotland want to not only get to the World Cup but make an impact there too.
