Falkirk defender Luke Leahy admits having Scotland manager Gordon Strachan 'in his corner' continues to give his career a boost.
The 22-year-old came through the Strachan Football Foundation that was set up by the national team boss and son Gavin in 2011 to give teenage apprentices the chance to train like professionals while working towards academic qualifications.
A subsequent reference from the former Aberdeen, Manchester United and Leeds midfielder was enough to earn Leahy a successful trial at Falkirk under Steven Pressley in 2012. The Coventry-born youngster has since gone on to play almost 70 times for the Bairns, including 34 appearances this season under Peter Houston following a switch to left-back, and Strachan continues to check the progress made by one of his Foundation graduates.
Leahy, who joked he qualifies for Scotland thanks to the grandparent rule, will again be key for Falkirk as they bid to leapfrog Queen of the South into the play-off spots with a win against Cowdenbeath tonight. And he admits the knowledge that Strachan, who was at Westfield to take in last month's draw with Rangers, is still following his career is a huge fillip as he bids to help the Bairns set up a tilt at promotion.
He said: "I didn't know Gordon had come to the game against Rangers until I watched the game back at home and they mentioned he was there early on into the coverage. Then I got a text from him after that saying 'well done' for the game.
"It was a surprise he had been at the game and it was nice that he got in touch after it. It's been a few years now since I left the Foundation but he always makes sure I'm all right and obviously remembers me from that time, so that's great. It was a boost for me, personally, when I heard he had been talking about me at the Rangers game, but it is a bit weird that the Scotland manager is keeping an eye on me and seeing how I'm doing.
"I saw Gordon a few times when I was at the Foundation and, although I don't see him much now, I know he does check up on my progress, which is nice. I feel I have progressed a lot at Falkirk. The transformation has been unbelievable, especially this season because I have changed position to play left-back. I'm just happy to be playing and hopefully I can keep doing what I'm doing and Falkirk can have a successful end to the season."
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