Kristi Montgomery Earns First Senior Scotland Call-Up

Kristi Montgomery has been handed her first senior Scotland call-up as Sebastien Pocognoli reshapes his squad for a demanding Nations League schedule.

The Blackburn Rovers midfielder, promoted from the Under-21s, steps into the group after Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean withdrew from the original selection. Scotland face Slovenia home and away, as well as Switzerland and North Macedonia, in a block of fixtures that will give the new head coach an immediate test of depth and nerve.

Montgomery, 22, has earned her chance the hard way. She has started all eight Championship matches for Tony Mowbray’s side this season, anchoring the Blackburn midfield and catching the eye often enough to convince Pocognoli she is ready to make the jump.

Her elevation comes in the middle of a significant changing of the guard. Between them, Celtic defender Tierney and Norwich City midfielder McLean boast 119 caps, but both are absent, while established figures Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland were already ruled out before Pocognoli named his first squad.

The result is a group heavy on promise and light on international experience. Montgomery becomes the eighth uncapped player in a 27-strong pool, joining Luke Graham, Robbie Ure, Luis Binks, Colby Donovan, Jon McCracken, Josh McPake and Stephen Welsh in a fresh-faced contingent that will give the manager options and headaches in equal measure.

There is also a clear nod to players who have had to wait their turn. Oli McBurnie, Scott Bain, Kieron Bowie, Josh Doig, Lennon Miller and James Wilson are all recalled, while Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour returns after the injury that kept him out of the World Cup. His presence immediately stiffens the spine of the squad and restores a creative fulcrum in the middle of the park.

Not everyone finds a place. Dominic Hyam, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst, Grant Hanley, Anthony Ralston and Ross Stewart are among those overlooked as Pocognoli stamps his authority on the selection. Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher, who filled Gilmour’s role in the USA, drops back to the Under-21s, a sign that the pathway remains open but the standards at senior level are rising.

For Montgomery, the message is simple: she has forced the door open. The coming Nations League games will show whether she and Scotland’s new wave can keep it that way.