Driver hopes US move will lead to Scotland cap

Thursday 21 February 2013

Departing Hearts winger Andy Driver hopes his move to America could lead to the chance to represent Scotland.

The 25-year-old is leaving Tynecastle almost a decade after joining up as a schoolboy, to sign for MLS outfit Houston Dynamo.

But following two years of injury struggles, Driver believes he is almost back to the type of scintillating form that saw him first break into the Hearts first team in 2006.

And he has suggested that continued progress could eventually merit a call from Scotland boss Gordon Strachan.Driver was born near Oldham but spent the majority of his childhood living in Gullane, East Lothian.Although capped by England at under-21 level, he pledged his future to Scotland, prompting the Scottish Football Association to successfully lobby FIFA for a change in eligibility rules to allow youngsters schooled in a country to play for their national team.Driver has yet to don a Dark Blue jersey, although he is not giving up hope yet.The player, who could jet out to the United States as soon as this weekend, told Press Association Sport: "Am I thinking about a Scotland call-up? It doesn't matter where you are playing, if you are doing as well as you can, there is always the thought of that."But I can't concentrate on that. I can only concentrate on moving out there. I've got to go and put in a lot of hard work."Over the last couple of years, I did miss a lot of football, so I feel I'm nowhere near my potential yet."Now I've got a great club and great surroundings to go and put that work in and improve as a player."Hearts manager John McGlynn has already claimed Driver's departure was a direct consequence of the financial worries that continue to circle the capital club.Hearts faced a winding-up order late last year over an unpaid £450,000 tax bill and were forced to appeal to supporters for help through a share issue.Concerns persist after club owner Vladimir Romanov's Lithuanian bank Ukio Bankas was declared insolvent this week.But Driver, who has played under seven managers in as many years since making his first-team debut, is confident Hearts are too big to go under.He said: "There has been lots of ups and lots of downs but as a person it's made me stronger."It's been entertaining - there's never a dull moment here."There's been some strange times too - I remember one January transfer window, 11 guys signed, so we had a whole new team."We had to make new benches for them in the changing room. So there's been some crazy things like that."But the most important thing is that the club is heading in the right direction. They are starting to steady the boat."The way the fans have come out and helped the club this year shows how big a club this really is. Now everybody can look forward to a bright future."There is always going to be fears. There are fears for everybody at the moment the way the country and the world is."But the club is always going to be there. The way the fans have rallied round shows that. But you need that fear to prevent it. Without that fear, no-one would do anything to prevent it from going to the wall."

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Driver hopes US move will lead to Scotland cap

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