Motherwell defender Stephen O’Donnell on course to set new club cap record

Scotland's Stephen O'Donnell and Austria's Louis Schaub vying for possession last week at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna (Photo: Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

The Bellshill-born 29-year-old picked up his 23rd cap for the national team as they beat Austria 1-0 away last Tuesday, September 7, after we went to press in pursuit of a Football World Cup qualifying play-off spot.

A dozen of those have come since he signed up at Fir Park in August 2020, equalling the number claimed by late ’Well forward and later manager George Stevenson almost a century ago.

Stevenson made his first international appearance against Wales in October 1927 and his 12th and last came against Northern Ireland in 1934.

O’Donnell, first capped in 2018, looks to be in with a good chance of making that club record his own before the year is out as Steve Clarke’s Scotland side have four qualifiers lined up for next month and November, the first being at home to Israel on Saturday, October 9.