Cardiff Could Give Scotland A Boost

Saturday's Coca-Cola Championship final at Wembley may show some SPL clubs what they are missing out on in terms of Scottish talent. Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall is just one of a crop of Scottish talent which will be taking to the famous turf. Marshall made 50 appearances for Celtic before taking his talents down south in 2007 and he could be joined by as many as eight other Scots - who will all be battling for a place in the Premier League. Also in the Cardiff line-up will be former Rangers winger Chris Burke, former Aberdeen full-back Kevin McNaughton and midfielder Gavin Rae - once of Rangers and Dundee. Also hoping to feature will be ex-Motherwell defender Paul Quinn and striker Ross McCormack, another man who found first-team football hard to come by at Rangers. Blackpool have been carried to the brink of promotion by another unwanted Rangers man, Charlie Adam, while Stephen Dobbie and Stephen Crainey could all also feature in Ian Holloway's line-up.

Marshall said: "There will be a lot of Scottish guys on show and I am sure it will create a lot of interest. A lot of us came through at Celtic and Rangers and it can be hard for young lads to get established into the side. There is obviously a lot of competition from foreigners and it is a high-pressure environment to learn your trade. I certainly made the decision to come to England and get first-team football and hopefully it is paying off. I think the likes of Chris and Charlie made that same call and we are all one game away from playing in the Premier League now."

Marshall is hoping to play a part for the national side under new manager Craig Levein and admits that playing in the top flight is vital to his chances. He said: "I want to play for Scotland and playing regularly will only help that. I am focussed on winning on Saturday and if we get into the Premier League then it all can change."