John McGinn roasted Ben Gannon-Doak for his goal-kick celebration against Haiti, but the winger just can't hide his passion. The electric wide man took a hammering for his celebration, but he says that's just what playing for Scotland does to you.
Gannon-Doak's Standout Performance
Ben Gannon-Doak was roasted by John McGinn for celebrating winning a goal kick against Haiti on Saturday night. And he doesn't even want to talk about that, writes Keith Jackson in the USA. He switches the notifications off on his mobile phone at night so he doesn't have to read what the rest of the world is saying about him. But it does seem as if Ben Gannon-Doak is the name on everyone's lips these days regardless, as the £25m Bournemouth winger grabs the chance to showcase his skills on the greatest stage of them all.
Gannon-Doak turned in a stand-out performance against Haiti in Boston on Saturday night, even if his manager seemed reluctant to say as much. Steve Clarke has been handing the development of this kid with great care and caution ever since Gannon-Doak burst into his squad at the age of just 19. At every turn along the way, Clarke has attempted to manage the expectations weighing down on the youngster's shoulders. And it certainly seemed that way after the opening night win, when Clarke declined to join in with the latest raft of rave reviews. The intention seems to be to keep Gannon-Doak's flying feet planted firmly on the ground. And yet, even so, this tournament does feel very much like lift off time for a little man with a huge talent and - all things considered - a remarkably humble attitude.
Protection from Hyperbole
There is a sense that Clarke, McGinn and the other senior pros around Scotland's base camp here in Charlotte are eager to protect Gannon-Doak from the hyperbole which surrounds him, almost every time he pulls on a dark blue shirt. They're quick to pull him up for the minor details he hasn't carried out on the pitch rather than fawn over the game changing moments that his bag of magic tricks provides. And Gannon-Doak is perfectly happy for it to continue that way, even though a global audience will be hanging on his every twist and turn when he returns to Boston to take on Morocco on Friday night.
Asked about his own performance against Haiti he shrugged: "We haven't really debriefed the game yet if I'm being honest but, If I think back about myself, I'm quite happy to have contributed on both sides of the game. But it's not about me, every single one of the lads who started or came off the bench were top drawer and we deserve to get a result after X amount of years of not being here, so it is a good way to start. Like I said earlier, it's not about me, it's about the team. It's good getting credit and praise after doing well but it is also very easy to be called rubbish after you've not played well. It's not about me, it's about doing the job that the manager wants me to do, to help the team and if I can be that focussed on the game, the outside noise blocks itself out."
The Goal Kick Celebration
At one point during a lung-bursting second half, Gannon-Doak motored 70 yards or so back up the pitch to help out Aaron Hickey and win Scotland a goal kick. He celebrated the moment by thumping his chest towards an appreciative Tartan Army. And wise cracker McGinn hasn't let him forget it! Gannon-Doak said: "I think I was just buzzing about being able to be decent at defending for a change! Obviously there was a bit of adrenaline in there. McGinn hammered me for celebrating winning a goal kick so I don't want to talk too much about that! I think that's what playing in a Scotland shirt does to you. I really enjoyed it."
Substitution and Enjoyment
Not long after, Gannon-Doak saw his number come up, replaced by Findlay Curtis. And he wasn't in the slightest bit bothered about that decision either. He smiled: "I was needing hooked - both my calves decided to leave the stadium before me! They cramped up a bit so I was more than happy to make way and get my backside on that chair. I wasn't surprised at all." And it's that sense of enjoyment which screams out of this young man. Like so many others in Clarke's squad, he's having the time of his life here. And trying desperately not to be overawed by the scale of it all.
He said: "In the lead-up to the game I have my phone on 'do not disturb', I don't see any of that," when asked how he handles the sense of expectation surrounding him. "The more you hype up a game, the more you can let the occasion get to you. It is better for me to take a step back and realise that I have been playing footy all my life, it is not any different to playing in the park. It is different - but that is the way I think about it to be prepared. But obviously it helps to know that everyone back home is excited. You see all the support from your mates, from your family and then obviously in the crowd as well when they are that vocal and that passionate. That can come out in the performance."
Future Prospects
Gannon-Doak was challenged by Clarke to rediscover his top form in the pre-tournament friendly against Bolivia. He duly obliged and, by doing so, nailed down his starting place on Saturday night. But while his own star seems ready to soar, he's happy enough to allow the likes of McGinn and Scott McTominay to keep hold of their mantle as Scotland's leading lights. He said: "I enjoy making an impact - I'd be lying if I said I didn't - but they are the ones putting the ball in the net. I'm just doing my job, I am trying to put the ball in a dangerous area, they are the ones grabbing the headlines because they deserve it. Obviously people ask me about McTominay's goal against Denmark but I have not put the ball in the box expecting him to do that, he's the one who grabs the headlines because he deserves it."
Pretty soon Gannon-Doak might just be getting exactly what he deserves too. And, whether he likes it or not, the eyes of the world will be locked on his every move.
