Maloney recalled to Scotland squad

27th August 2008

Shaun Maloney has been recalled to the Scotland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Iceland.

The 25-year-old midfielder, who rejoined Celtic last week after an unhappy spell at Aston Villa, has been rewarded for his display in Saturday's Clydesdale Bank Premier League victory over Falkirk.

Maloney was left out of the squad for last Wednesday's friendly against Northern Ireland but started manager George Burley's first game in charge against Croatia in March.

Also back in the squad is Birmingham striker Garry O'Connor, who was named in Burley's first squad but did not play and has been out of the frame since.

O'Connor's most recent Scotland appearance came in the 3-1 European Championship victory over Ukraine last October.

As expected, Tottenham full-back Alan Hutton has been excluded due to injury, while there is no place for Rangers defender Christian Dailly.

But veteran team-mate David Weir retains his place after being picked as a late replacement ahead of the Northern Ireland game.

There is also a second chance for Preston's Calum Davidson to earn his first cap for six years after injury forced him to pull out of the squad for last Wednesday's match.

Celtic midfielder Paul Hartley was another high-profile absentee from that game but he recovered to play for his club on Saturday and is included in Burley's 25-man squad.