Dominic Hyam said his “immediate reaction was disappointment” after being left out of Sebastien Pocognoli’s first Scotland squad. The Wrexham defender had been in Steve Clarke’s squad for the summer showpiece and was an unused substitute against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil. Pocognoli, 39, signed a two-year contract with Scotland in August.

Scotland omission and Hyam's response

Hyam’s frustration is easy to understand. He has already been around the Scotland set-up this year, and Pocognoli’s first 28-man squad for the opening Nations League block included Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia.

The defender was direct about where he stands. “Like I’ve said all along, it’s all about how I perform on the pitch for my club and hopefully I can get in in the future,” he said.

That is the route he has left himself. Hyam also said, “Not with the new manager personally, no,” when asked about direct contact with Pocognoli, so the way back has to come through Wrexham.

Wrexham have taken 7 of the 21 points available this season, which is hardly a backdrop that hands anyone an easy argument for international recall. Hyam needs performances to do the talking, and at the moment the club results need to improve with him.

Wrexham's response after the West Ham defeat

Hyam was also dealing with the fallout from West Ham’s 6-0 win, Wrexham’s heaviest league defeat since losing to Bournemouth by the same scoreline 22 years ago. It was the biggest loss of Phil Parkinson’s tenure since his appointment in the summer of 2021.

He said Parkinson spoke to him and Matty James after the game and wanted their views on how the squad should move on. “He just wanted our opinions on how we move forward from the last game and into the next one,” Hyam said.

Wrexham’s response has to come quickly, because their recent run has been mixed rather than stable. In their last five matches they have won two and lost three, which is not the sort of stretch that helps a player trying to force his way back into a national squad. Southampton have gone four wins and one defeat over the same span.

Hyam said Wrexham had “quickly drawn a line underneath it”, and the next chance to back that up comes when they return to league action after the 6-0 defeat.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →