STEVE CLARKE piled further praise on Ben Doak in the wake of Scotland’s dramatic Nations League win in Poland last night – but also admitted that the Middlesbrough winger was running on empty after a busy international break.
Doak started his second game in the space of four days as Scotland secured a place in the tier one relegation play-offs by beating Poland 2-1 in Warsaw.
The Boro loanee set up his side’s third-minute opener as he broke on the outside of Polish centre-half Jakub Kiwior before delivering a low cross that Lukasz Skorupski could only parry into the path of John McGinn, who drove home.
Doak remained a threat down the right-hand side throughout the first half, but had already begun to tire by the time he was replaced in the 66th minute.
Clarke has been delighted with the 19-year-old’s impact in the last two games, and expects him to be a key figure in the Scottish side’s future development.
However, having hinted he might rest Doak prior to last night’s game, the Scotland boss also conceded that the teenager was extremely fatigued by the time he left the field in Warsaw.
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That will be a concern for Middlesbrough, who return to domestic action at Oxford United on Saturday afternoon.
“It was another assist from Ben, which is good,” said Clarke. “But I think he tired quite quickly in the second half, and I should maybe have taken him off a little bit earlier.
“He’s a threat. He’s very direct, he gets at defenders and, having been a full-back myself, I know that if you’ve got a winger like that who gets at you, he makes it difficult for the defenders and he brings us something a little bit different.”
