Josh McPake’s first cap for Scotland came in a 2-1 Nations League defeat to Slovenia at Hampden Park on Tuesday night. The Heart of Midlothian winger entered the fray for the final 20 minutes and immediately injected pace and directness down the left flank.

His introduction was a bright spot on a disappointing evening for the national side, who conceded goals in the 56th and 71st minutes to slip to a home loss. McPake expressed pride in the personal milestone but was left frustrated by the result and a late penalty claim.

McPake reflects on debut and penalty claim

“Obviously, on a personal note, to make my debut was brilliant, but it wasn't the result we wanted,” McPake said. The 25-year-old believed he should have been awarded a spot-kick after a driving run into the box in the latter stages. “I was screaming. I've not seen it back or anything,” he admitted. “I don't know if it was outside the box, but contact was definitely there, so I was confused about what was happening.”

He felt his brief appearance showed the qualities that have made him a key figure for his club this season. “I thought I did well. When I was coming on, I just wanted to bring a wee bit of positivity, forward-thinking, maybe getting at the full-back,” McPake explained. “I think one of my first actions was getting at the full-back. That's what I'm all about.”

McPake’s form and international ambitions

His impressive performances for Heart of Midlothian, where he has contributed assists and consistent threat, have been the foundation for this international opportunity. Being part of the Scotland setup has only increased his desire to stay there. “Being part of the set-up is brilliant, something I've always wanted to do and dreamt about,” McPake said. “So to be amongst that is really good, to see how they train, see how they work, day in, day out - It's been a learning curve for me.”

With Scotland sitting third in their Nations League group, McPake is now targeting another call-up for next month’s fixtures against North Macedonia and Switzerland. “Definitely. There's no guarantees for anything, but in my terms, it's keeping my head down, keep working hard and hopefully do the things that got me to this moment and keep doing that,” he stated.

This international focus comes as his club side, Heart of Midlothian, sit third in the Premiership with 13 points from seven games. Their recent form reads three wins, one draw and one defeat from the last five, a sequence you can review on our standings page. They face a quick return to domestic action with a home match against St Mirren this weekend, a fixture detailed on our fixtures schedule. McPake will be aiming to carry his positive international momentum straight back into the Heart of Midlothian lineup for that key encounter.

This story first appeared at heraldscotland.com