Having the knack of being in the right place at the right moment is a valuable asset for any striker.
For Tommy Conway, the timing of his emergence at the forefront of Steve Clarke’s ruminations has earned him the opportunity of a lifetime.
When Scotland clinched qualification for the Euro 2024 finals last October, it’s fair to say the Bristol City forward wasn’t on anyone’s radar as the composition of Clarke’s squad for Germany was debated.
Now, just over a week before the Scots open the tournament against the hosts in Munich, 21-year-old Conway has earned a dream late call-up.
Tommy Conway scored for the Under-21s in their 2-1 friendly loss to Turkey
Steve Clarke has promoted the Bristol City striker to his squad from the Under-21s
Lyndon Dykes is stretchered off the Lesser Hampden pitch after suffering an injury
The loss of the injured Lyndon Dykes, Clarke’s go-to man up front for much of his tenure, created the vacancy in an area of the pitch where Scotland are hardly laden with options. With Liverpool youngster Ben Doak also dropping out, there was a need for Clarke to boost his forward options.
Southampton striker Che Adams pressed his claims to be Clarke’s first pick when he came off the bench to score a fine goal in the 2-0 friendly win over Gibraltar in Faro on Monday evening.
Aside from that, however, the general wastefulness in and around the penalty area against opponents ranked 203rd in the world simply underlined Clarke’s need for reliable alternatives in attack.
While the senior side were frittering away opportunities in the Algarve, Conway was making it three goals in his last three appearances for Scotland Under-21s as they lost 2-1 to Turkey in a friendly in Istanbul.
A native of Taunton in Somerset, with a West Country accent to match, Conway’s allegiance to the dark blue has never been in doubt.
He qualifies to play for Scotland through his late grandfather Danny, who hailed from Stirling, while his father Joe has always remained an enthusiastic Tartan Army aficionado.
Conway has been with Bristol City since joining their academy as a seven-year-old and has proved to be one of its most successful graduates.
After loan spells at neighbouring clubs Yate Town and Bath City in the seventh and sixth tiers of English football respectively, Conway made his first-team breakthrough for his boyhood club at the age of 18 with five appearances towards the end of the 2020-21 season.
He scored his first goal in a 4-1 defeat at Millwall in May 2021 but didn’t establish himself in the senior side at Ashton Gate immediately, making just six substitute appearances in the 2021-22 term.
Conway’s breakthrough season came in 2022-23 when he made a flying start with seven goals in his first 11 games and quickly became a favourite with the Robins’ fans.
He finished the season with a tally of 12, earning him the club’s Golden Boot award, but City’s early hopes of a promotion push petered out as they finished 14th in the Championship.
Conway’s profile was raised considerably in January this year when he played a key role in City’s surprise FA Cup third-round success against West Ham.
He scored the equaliser in their 1-1 draw at the London Stadium before grabbing the only goal of the replay against their Premier League opponents at Ashton Gate.
A composed finisher who also links up play intelligently, Conway was City’s top scorer once more this season despite a hamstring injury which sidelined him from the start of August until the end of September. He netted 12 goals again as City finished in 11th place.
Conway in action for Scotland Under-21s against Kazakhstan back in March
Striker Tommy Conway scored 12 goals for Bristol City last season
Conway will make the step up from Under-21s to the Scotland senior squad
First called up by Scotland Under-21 coach Scot Gemmill in September 2022, he had to wait until his fifth appearance before scoring his first goal for his country.
It was an emotional moment for Conway, who was also captain on that occasion, as he grabbed the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Norway in Murcia last summer.
‘When I was walking the team out that day, I was thinking about my grandad and I scored my first goal as well,’ he recalled later.
‘To think I’m doing him proud is one thing. I also know how much it means to my dad and my family. I love it when I come away with Scotland and I know how proud it makes my family.’
Conway’s progress hasn’t only been noticed by Steve Clarke this season. He has been linked with several English Premier League clubs, including Wolves and Brentford, and has made no secret of his ambition to play at the highest level as soon as possible.
Ideally for Conway, that would come in the form of promotion with his beloved Bristol City where he remains under contract until the summer of 2025. His list of potential suitors is only likely to grow after his late call up for the Euros.
‘If I got the call up, then great, it would be a proud moment,’ he said recently when quizzed about the likelihood of earning a place in Clarke’s squad.
‘But if not, then it won’t be the end of the world. There will be plenty more tournaments in the future for myself to look forward to.
‘You have to allow yourself to dream. That’s what it’s all about. Dreams come true and things like that. If it’s not this one then it’s the next one — World Cups, Euros. Let’s dream big and let’s take Scotland to the World Cup and Euros and let’s do well in it.’
As Conway realised last night, dreams can come true just when least expected.
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