Bradford City goalkeeper Jon McCracken is hoping to be named in Sebastien Pocognoli's first Scotland squad on Tuesday for the Nations League matches against Slovenia, North Macedonia and Switzerland. The 26-year-old has kept six clean sheets in nine games for the League One club and was watched by an SFA coach during Saturday's 1-0 win over Leyton Orient.
Inspired by Scottish managers
McCracken has worked under two Scotland stalwarts in recent years. He played for Steven Pressley at Dundee before joining Bradford, where Graham Alexander is his manager. The pair earned 72 Scotland caps between them during their careers.
McCracken was part of the Scotland set-up two years ago under Steve Clarke and now wants to compete with former Norwich City teammate Angus Gunn for a place in Pocognoli's side. He believes his ability with the ball at his feet could suit the Belgian coach's style.
Confidence from his boss
Speaking exclusively to Record Sport, McCracken said: "The gaffer has been brilliant with me here. It's always good when a manager signs you. And he's just filled me with confidence. He's been harsh when he's had to be - but most importantly, really honest with me."
He added: "It's nice to have a Scottish manager, who had a great playing career and won a lot of caps. They're both big characters and their playing styles are slightly different. But they're both winners. You can see that, definitely."
Opportunity after Gordon's retirement
McCracken sees a chance to break into the squad following Craig Gordon's retirement. "There's room for a new face in the squad and I'd obviously be very grateful if it was myself," he said. "But if you're not performing at club level, you can't expect a call-up. Thankfully, I've started the season well at Bradford."
Reflecting on his previous call-up, he said: "It was a great honour for me at the time to be called up. But I felt I could live in that company and be part of it. I was in there with Angus, who I'd spent a few years with at Norwich. I knew the level he was at and I felt I could handle it."
Move to Bradford
McCracken left Dundee in the summer despite being offered the chance to stay, wanting to test himself in England again. He said: "I went into the summer and there was an element of the unknown about it for me. There was interest from elsewhere but it became clear that it was going to be number two gigs."
He added: "I still wanted to play. I'd had a good season at Dundee and loved every minute of it. I only missed a few games. So I didn't want to be a number two somewhere having to wait for an opportunity."
Bradford's stature attracted him, with home crowds regularly exceeding 20,000. "At my first home game, there were 21,500 people there," he said. "They've been a sleeping giant for the last few years. There's stability with the manager who has led them out of League Two before a strong fourth place finish in League One last season."
With Bradford challenging for promotion, McCracken hopes to be a Championship goalkeeper next season. "If I can cement myself as Bradford number one, everything goes to plan and we're right up there - I could be a Championship goalkeeper next season," he said.
