At 26, these past couple of years have been thorny ones for the Titwood man; he suffered redundancy at work, and has subsequently begun a business degree course at Paisley University, which means he has to combine studying with sporting commitments. Yet, whether extolling the virtues of his Scotland colleague, Majid Haq – his arrival has added fresh layers of steely professionalism to the Clydedale ranks – or applauding the often inventive captaincy of Zeeshan Bashir, Farid sounded in fine spirits when we spoke and remains determined to prove that he can make his mark on the international stage.