No Scots in team GB football team

No Scots are among the 18 man Great Britain football team announced for the Olympics.

Manager Stuart Pearce has included five Welshmen and 13 English players to play in the tournament.

Promising young Scots like Gary Mackay-Steven, Grant Hanley and Jordan Rhodes were believed to be in the running for slots in the team, but none made the cut off.

The squad consists of players under the age of 23, plus three overage players.

David Beckham missed out on the match, with Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards named as the three over-age players.

Pearce said it was no easy task to select his team and affirmed that the players were chosen on their playing merits and no other factor.

He said: “The stature of the competition and uniqueness of the occasion has underlined the importance of every choice I have made.

“With just 18 places it is very different from other international tournaments, the options are limited, but it is the Olympic Games and every player in this squad should be very proud they have a chance to compete for a gold medal on home soil.”

The London 2012 Olympics will be the first time that Team GB have competed in the men’s football competition since the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where they finished third in their group.

Great Britain kick off their campaign at Manchester’s Old Trafford against Senegal on July 26, play the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on July 29, before their final group fixture against Uruguay at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on August 1.

The Great Britain men’s football squad for London 2012:

Goalkeepers
Jack Butland (Birmingham), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough)

Defenders
Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham), Craig Dawson (West Brom), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Neil Taylor (Swansea), James Tomkins (West Ham)

Midfielders
Joe Allen (Swansea), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Jack Cork (Southampton), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Scott Sinclair (Swansea)

Strikers
Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), Marvin Sordell (Bolton), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea)