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The club wishes to pass on its congratulations to Max Johnston, who has earned his first Scotland Under-21 call up for Thursday’s friendly with Iceland.

The match will be played at Fir Park, the home of the teenager’s parent club Motherwell.

Since making his Cove Rangers debut in the SPFL Trust Trophy tie against Raith Rovers, Max has been an ever-present, starting the last nine matches, and he has caught the eye with a string of fine performances.

Manager Jim McIntyre believes the full-back’s recognition is richly deserved:

“Max has been outstanding, a very consistent performer, and I’m delighted for him. For such a young man, he’s shown a real level of maturity, and has made a big contribution since joining the team.

“It is a clear indication of the benefits of the loan system, for the player, and both clubs. It’s a market we have to use, and we will give young players the opportunity to develop and play in a highly competitive league. That is what has happened with Max.

“The likelihood is I will be looking to tap into it again in the January transfer window; I would hope clubs see what we’ve done with Max, and also the likes of Evan Towler, Charlie Gilmour and Jack Sanders, and decide that Cove is a good place to be.”

Max scored on his debut for Scotland Under-16s in a win over Australia in January 2019, and subsequently earned two caps for the Under-19s against Israel and Hungary in March of this year. He is thrilled with his latest call up:

“It’s brilliant, I was really happy when I got the call, and it will be great joining up with the squad. I’ve been pleased with my form, it has been good to get a run in the team, playing at Championship level, and it shows it was the right decision to make the move to Cove.”

The eighteen-year-old’s father, Allan, won eighteen full caps for Scotland between 1998 and 2002, and Max says he was thrilled when he heard the news:

“Dad was delighted; he’s been a big support in my career, and this is another step. If I get the chance, it will be a proud moment for me.”

Another of the Cove loanees, Evan Towler, is also on international duty, as part of the Under-19s bid to qualify for the European Championship Finals. He was included by Billy Stark for the fixtures against Iceland, Kazakhstan and France over the next week.

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