Alex Dyer hopes Kilmarnock can benefit as the race for Scotland’s Euro 2020 places starts.
Rugby Park duo Stuart Findlay and Eamonn Brophy have international experience but were not involved last week as their former Killie boss Steve Clarke led the Scots to qualification for next summer’s finals.
But Clarke’s former national team number two Dyer sees no reason why the pair cannot force themselves back into contention.
The Killie manager is well aware that bosses across the country will be saying the same to their own Scotland hopefuls as the Premiership action resumes this weekend.
But, with the majority of the names in Clarke’s squad already inked in, he has urged Findlay and Brophy to demonstrate they should be picked by shining on club duty, starting with Saturday’s visit of Ross County.
He said: “I hope this carrot of the Euros can help us. Our two boys Stuart and Eamonn are good lads, they’re working hard having had a taste of the international team and they want a taste again.
“As long as they do well for Kilmarnock, which is the first thing they have to concentrate on, then if they do it will be up to the gaffer to make that choice.
“All they can do is work hard for Kilmarnock.
“There will be players up and down the country – as well as down south – working hard to make sure they have a chance.
“Opportunities like this might only come around once in your lifetime. It’s a big opportunity and these guys will want to have a taste of it.
“I’m sure Steve will stand by the lads that have got the team to the Euros so there is only really a few places up for grabs.
“As long as there are no injuries, then I would think the guys who have taken the team this far would hold on to their place.
“Then it’s down to the rest of them to fight over the places that are left.
“But no one should have any regrets. Every day they will be working with the goal of reaching the national team and to do that you have to work hard for your club.”
Sixth-placed Killie have suffered three successive league defeats but take on bottom six outfits County and Hamilton next before facing Celtic and Aberdeen.
But Dyer is putting no extra pressure on his team to pick up results before the come up against the big guns.
“The next two games aren’t going to define our season,” he insisted. “We want to win every game we can but if we lose the next two we’re not going to think we’re struggling.
“We’d love to win them, obviously, and that’s our mindset.
“They are two winnable games but at the same time, Ross County and Hamilton will be feeling the same way.
“We know every game in this league is tough so we can’t take anything for granted. We have to do everything to the max, train hard, play hard and hopefully that gives us the better chance of winning the game.”
