I played for Scotland 18 times – but I don’t think I should have been eligible

SCORING a goal for Scotland against Brazil at the World Cup is a childhood dream for thousands of youngsters.

But not for the man who ACTUALLY put one in the net on the pitch at the Stade de France in 1998 – at half-time.

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Matt Elliott stuck one in during his warm-up and admitted he celebrated “like a big kid”.

Despite the fact there was no goalkeeper or even opposition.

Growing up in the south of England he hadn’t ever really considered playing the beautiful game in the dark blue in front of the Tartan Army.

And even now he doesn’t think he SHOULD have been able to.

But, called up by Craig Brown and then Berti Vogts the English-born defender made 18 appearances for Scotland, and scored once against San Marino.

Yet Elliot admits he shouldn’t have been ELIGIBLE.

Another Elliot – Newcastle‘s Anderson – has pledged his allegiance to the Three Lions rather than the Lion Rampant this week, but his predecessor and namesake says he never had the choice.

He said: “It’s a good question [how it came about].

“I don’t necessarily agree with the ruling but my grandmother was Scottish.

“Basically they just asked me out the blue really I didn’t know. I’ve got a slight suspicion but I’ll never find out because he’s not with us anymore, but I think my dad might have had something to do with it.

“He never admitted to it but it just came about. But I suppose people do their homework because I’d signed for Leicester and I hit the ground running sort of thing. I was playing as well as I could.

“So I suppose these days people pick up on it don’t they – I wouldn’t be surprised [if my dad did contact Scotland] but I don’t know how he would do that.”

Speaking to Under The Cosh Youtube channel he went on: “It was a massive honour to be asked. I was sort of pinching myself because it was just before the 98 World Cup and Scotland had already qualified and Craig Brown was kind enough to ask me to join the squad.

“It was amazing – first game was at Stade France against Brazil – for Scotland. I was thinking what am I doing here?”

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But he made the most of it.

Elliott was rooming with Neil Sullivan – another Scotland star who qualified through the grandparents’ rule.

He went on: “He’s a similar background to me another – Southerner, a goalkeeper.

“He’s from the same area as me, pretty much same thing grandfather I think was Scottish.

“He played a few times and we ended up rooming together.

“I remember waking up – Sully’s from Mitchum I think, I’m from Epsom and we woke up on the morning of the World Cup ‘Yeah how’d you fancy playing the World Cup against Brazil?’ and he’s like ‘Yeah’

“We were just like living out this fantasy going on but the neither of us got on unfortunately.

“But just to be in the same arena as Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos and Rivaldo just started popping by, shaking hands with them – ‘Have a good game son, yeah, do your best.’ It was good times.

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“I ended up at half-time I just went on the pitch and said I’ll come warm up for a bit.

“I just scored an imaginary goal – no goalkeeper.

“I just ran up, couple of touches, dropped the shoulder and smashed one in an empty net and celebrated like this big kid at the World Cup with my friends and family in the corners.”

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