Simon Donnelly and Phil O'Donnell completed their protracted moves from Celtic to Sheffield Wednesday yesterday and immediately set their sights on establishing themselves in Danny Wilson's first team and, in turn, reigniting their international careers.
The 24-year-old Donnelly signed a pre-contract agreement along with his Parkhead team-mate in March and both players were unveiled at Hillsborough yesterday by Wilson.
Donnelly, capped 10 times for Scotland so far, has seen his international career founder since being included in the Scotland World Cup squad last year, but believes a move to the Premiership will encourage Craig Brown to give him another chance as the national coach continues his search for strikers.
''I struggled to get back into the Scotland squad while at Celtic, but coming down here and playing against quality teams week-in, week-out with top foreign players will boost my chances of winning a recall,'' he said.
''That was one of the incentives for myself. If you're playing here and playing well, you will get noticed. At Celtic during the last three or four seasons I have been shifted about, but down here hopefully the manager can decide on my best position.''
Donnelly, whose father, Tom, was on Rangers' books, came through the youth ranks at Celtic and admitted having pangs of sorrow at having to leave his hometown club.
''Obviously, I was a wee bit disappointed at having to leave the club. I am leaving friends and players I have played with for a long time, but you have got to progress, and for me the next development was the Premiership in England.''
Donnelly, who endured an injury-hit season last term after helping Celtic to the title in 1998, denied having any pangs of regret at his decision to leave Celtic in light of the managerial revolution under Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes, but stated he believes the duo can make Celtic the No.1 club in Scotland again.
''I think if you ask anyone there, they will say the club is moving in the right direction. They have got a legend in Dalglish, a great player in Barnes, so I think they will do well.''
Midfielder O'Donnell, 27, who, like Donnelly, has signed a four-year deal at Hillsborough, originally won a recall to the Scotland squad for the double header against the Faroes and Estonia and confirmed the prospect of adding to his single cap, won in 1994, had a major bearing on his decision to move south.
''It won't do my prospects any harm playing in the Premiership, playing against better players just helps you to better yourself. That was the attraction of the Premiership.''
Wilson now hopes to add ''three or four new faces'' to his squad before the new season kicks off, but was unwilling to name names.
However, he added that both Donnelly and O'Donnell would need to put their Celtic days behind them and concentrate on fighting their way into the Owls' starting XI
''It seems to have taken an eternity to get the boys down here after they signed four months ago. They are well acquainted with the squad system. They're not alien to that, they're ready to fight for their places.
Wilson is grateful to have got both players for nothing under the Bosman ruling and estimated that he would have had to pay ''into the millions for both of them'' under the normal transfer system.
qFrench international striker Christophe Dugarry has tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, Nandrolone, his club Olympique Marseille confirmed yesterday.
Dugarry tested positive after the match between Marseille and Lyon on 30 April. In recent years, four French players, including freed Hearts midfielder Vincent Guerin, have been given six-month bans for taking the drug.
Dugarry, 27, was a pivotal figure in Aime Jacquet's French World Cup-winning side last year.
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