Blackpool midfielder targets a return to the Australian squad

The Blackpool midfielder has been a regular feature in Socceroos’ squads, but was surprisingly left out last month for the games against Vietnam and Oman.

The Aussies are still in with a chance of qualifying automatically for this year’s World Cup in Qatar, with their fate set to be decided during next month’s international break.

Graham Arnold’s team, who currently sit third in their group, face the two sides directly ahead of them in the table in Japan and Saudi Arabia on March 24 and March 28 respectively.

While Dougall was disappointed to miss out on the chance to add to his four international caps last month, it only added more fuel to the fire to make it next time around.

“The silver lining is that I got to play against Fulham,” the 28-year-old told The Gazette.

“I was disappointed I wasn’t in the squad, but there’s nothing you can do. It’s the national team and you have to earn every call-up, so hopefully I can get called up again in March.

“It’s always good getting away and representing your country.

“It’s something I’ve done four times now and I’m very proud of that. Hopefully I can add to that.

“It’s always nice being at Blackpool as well. We’ve got a great group of lads here so it’s enjoyable on both parts.”

Dougall’s chances of representing his country again will certainly be boosted by the regular game time he’s had this season playing in the Championship.

The central midfielder was desperate to return to the second tier, having seen a small glimpse of it during his time at Barnsley.

Dougall, who has featured in 27 of Blackpool’s 31 league games this term, has noticed a definite step up in quality from League One.

“I’m not sure if it’s physically more difficult but, mentally, it definitely is because if you switch off for half a second they can get in,” he said.

“The higher you go, the more quality they have so if you switch off they will punish you.

“Mentally it is more challenging, so you have to focus for the full 90 minutes whereas at times last season we could cruise through games.

“The way we play, our style of play doesn’t really change physically.

“Whether we’re in League Two or the Premier League, it’s going to be tough, but we’ve coped superbly so far and we’re more than at home in the Championship, which has been proven in both performances and results.”

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