MUCH more of this and Steven Hammell might be inclined to take his continuing exclusion from the Scotland squad rather personally.

Defenders, particularly left-sided ones, have been dropping like flies out of Gordon Strachan's group for the meeting with Croatia in Zagreb next Friday.

With Celtic's Charlie Mulgrew posted missing as he celebrates his marriage, and Rangers' Lee Wallace, Southampton's Danny Fox and Sunderland's Phil Bardsley expected to miss out due to injury, the Scotland boss could be left with just Alan Hutton and Norwich pair Steven Whittaker and Russell Martin – none of whom are left-footed – to cover the two full-back roles for the Group A encounter with the Croats.

But still a second international call-up for the experienced Hammell – to add to an unhappy debut under caretaker coach Tommy Burns back in November 2004 in a 4-1 friendly defeat to Sweden at Easter Road – resolutely refuses to arrive.

The 31-year-old's seeming invisibility is all the more startling given that he has been a virtual ever-present as Motherwell have qualified for Europe in five of the last six seasons, and has worked under two of the current Scotland backroom staff, in the form of Mark McGhee and Stuart McCall. "I played under Mark and we had a successful spell at that time," said Hammell, in Largs yesterday as he begins work towards his A licence. "We got to Europe and it's been the same with the current gaffer [McCall]. The gaffer has joked with me about it a couple of times, but there would be nobody happier if it did happen. I don't feel as though Scotland has passed me by yet. There does not seem to be anyone who has locked that left-back position down.

"Obviously, you have the likes of Lee and Charlie who can play there and the recent managers have also tried others in the position. I think the thing with the Scotland squad is that most of them are playing at the top level, either with Celtic or in the English Premier League and Championship. Perhaps it's harder for a player from Motherwell to break into it. I won't stand here and say Scotland is a make-or-break target for me, but it would be great if I could get mentioned."

Fortunately, rather than mull over his enforced international exile, Hammell has plenty of matters at club level to sustain him. The news that arrived last weekend, for instance, that McCall had rejected the advances of Sheffield United to head up the club's latest assault on the Europa League. Hammell was as surprised – pleasantly – as anyone. "Everything I was hearing suggested to me the gaffer was away, so your mind is already turning to who is going to take over?" he said. "You don't know what's coming, but the gaffer is excellent to work with and it's terrific he's staying. Now we can focus on getting the squad together."

These are times of huge flux for the Lanarkshire club, with Darrren Randolph and Nicky Law already having left, and the possibility of Chris Humphrey, Tom Hateley and Michael Higdon doing likewise. Hammell isn't convinced that his gaffer's decision to stay will be able to affect the thought processes too much. "There are a lot of boys out of contract and most of them, with us having had such good seasons, might be away," Hammell said. "I hope I'm wrong. But most of the boys out of contract are English and don't have any ties up here."

Whoever is at Fir Park at the time, a return to Europa League football represents unfinished business after a sojourn in European football last season which was all too brief. "Six seasons I've been back and we've been in Europe five of them," he said. "Every year we have gone out of Europe, it's been to a higher-ranked side, but it would be nice to cause that upset this season as they do happen."

Steven Hammell was speaking to publicise the A Licence Introduction, a key component of the Scottish FA's Coach Education programme