Junior Scotland boss Keith Burgess has called up strikers Kenny McLean (Beith) and David Gormley (Auchinleck) to replace the injured Richie Barr and Brian Ritchie for tomorrow's friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Tipperary.

Budgie said: "Call-offs are a fact of life and while disappointing for the players involved, at least Kenny and Davie are not coming in as total strangers after taking part in our squad get- together session and the midweek game against Rutherglen Glencairn in midweek.

"The 2-2 draw can be put down to us only having four previous caps in the squad and it being the first time the guys had ever played together so nobody should be reading too much into the result.

"I'm certainly not, as the most important aspect was to try out various player combinations and in that respect the exercise was extremely worthwhile.

"Hopefully the players are now better prepared for having the run-out and will gel quickly tomorrow because we'll be facing an Irish side who are always well organised and committed opponents.

"The very competitive nature of these games will come as a bit of a culture shock to our newcomers but probably not as much as the kick- off time of 7pm which I'm still trying to coming to terms with myself."

Rob Roy front man Iain Diack, one of the dozen prospective new caps making the trip, is confident the revamped Scots can do well.

He said: "I didn't have an earthly what to expect when first joining up with the squad but it's hard not to be impressed with the overall set-up.

"Everything is run along professional lines with the players expected to put in a hard shift in our training routines while being really well looked after on and off the pitch.

"The spirit among what is a group of guys coming together for the first time has been terrific and we're all looking forward to going up against the Irish, even though our lack of familiarity with each other exposed flaws during the game against Glencairn.

"Some of our outfield play was a joy to watch but there's plenty of room for improvement and we'll be looking to work on things before tomorrow's game."

The Scotland travelling party comprises:

Andy Leishman, Craig Pettigrew, David Gormley, Willie Lyle (all Auchinleck Talbot), Allan Fleming, Neil McCabe (both Kelty Hearts), Jamie McKenzie, Roddy McLennan, Tommy Coyne (all Linlithgow Rose), Graham Hay (Lochee United), Chris Wilson (Clydebank), Sean Grady (Bonnyrigg Rose), Jordan Murch (Petershill), Robert Halliday (Irvine Meadow), Iain Diack (Rob Roy), Kenny McLean (Beith).

Diack's club bosses Jimmy Lindsay and Derek Frye have moved to strengthen their Kirkintilloch playing resources.

Coming on board is former Glenafton club captain and centre-back Robbie Henderson who was recently placed on the Ayrshire outfit's transfer list at his own request.

At Adamslie Park, midfielders Jamie Doyle and Brian McKay have been linked with moves to Shettleston whose manager Hugh Kelly is also showing an interest in out-of-favour Pollok full-back Michael O'Hara.

Meanwhile, a fresh injury blow has beset Irvine Meadow striker Michael Hughes after he broke down when his knee "locked out" during a midweek training session.

Initial diagnosis is that 32-year-old Hughes has a torn cartilage which may require surgery to repair so he will be sidelined for the foreseeable future and is a definite non-starter in tomorrow's New Coin Holdings Cup tester against Newmains United.

That meeting has been switched to Meadow Park because of fears the Lanarkshire side's Victoria Park ground will be deemed unplayable.