Phil Bardsley has no regrets about switching allegiance to Scotland, having made his debut on Tuesday.
Full-back happy to nail his colours to Scotland mast
Phil Bardsley has no regrets about switching allegiance to Scotland, having made his debut on Tuesday.
The Sunderland full-back was drafted into the fold by Craig Levein ahead of a Euro 2012 qualifying double-header against Czech Republic and Spain.
The England-born defender had rejected advances from Scotland in the past, but was happy to answer the call on this occasion.
There is no way back for him now, after making his international bow against Spain, but Bardsley insists he is happy to fully commit to the Scottish cause.
He said: "I don't have one regret whatsoever. I'm fully Scottish now and I'm here for as long as the manager of the national team picks me.
Nerves
"I'm enjoying it and I hope it continues. It was a great experience for me and for my family to be here and watch me, it's an experience I will never forget.
"This time last week I was probably sitting in Nando's having some dinner and it's all just happened so quickly.
"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm delighted to be part of it and involved in games like this, it's tremendous.
"There had been rumours about me playing and the manager named the team in the afternoon and, fortunately for me, I was to make my debut at Hampden Park against Spain.
"What an experience. You get the little nerves beforehand but once you get out there, you're raring to go, you're focused on the game and the concentration levels are high. I did okay and hopefully the manager sees that."
Character
Bardsley suffered debut heartache against Spain, with Fernando Llorente stepping off the bench to hand the world champions a narrow 3-2 win.
Scotland can, however, take plenty of heart from a gutsy display, which saw them recover from two goals down to draw level at one stage, and confidence within the camp is high.
Bardsley added: "A lot of people probably wrote us off at 2-0 down but we showed great character to get back to 2-2 and to concede a late goal like we did was hard to take.
"But you can't take anything away from them, they are an unbelievable team and that's why they are world champions. They are world-class players and credit to the lads for a great effort against them.
"We did our best and it wasn't good enough but we gave a good account of ourselves."
