Following Rangers exit, defender Bates has furthered his development in Germany.
David Bates helped Scotland’s Under-21 side keep their dreams of 2019 Under-21 Euro Championship qualification alive with a win against Holland – and former Rangers teammate Josh Windass commented on his Instagram after the win.
Scotland earned a superb 2-1 win over the Dutch away from home to push themselves level on points with second-placed Ukraine in Group D, but even finishing second may not guarantee a place at next summer’s games.
Everton target man Fraser Hornby was the star of the show once again, following his hat-trick against Andorra last week. This time, he scored both goals including a last-gasp penalty to earn all three points.
Bates posted on Instagram after the match to underline his delight at the surprise win away from home in which the likes of the McCrorie brothers, Chris Cadden and Ryan Porteous all impressed.
The win sees Scotland lie in third place in Group D, level on points with Ukraine while England top the group on 20. With two games to play, England have already qualified.
Scotland face Ukraine away on October 12, before hosting England on October 16. Windass, who also left Rangers this summer to join Wigan, cheekily commented “Love it ginger German” on Bates’ post, after he moved to Hamburg.
Second place remains up for grabs. But of the nine qualifying groups, only the best-placed four go through – and that is after discounting the results against the bottom-placed side from each group. Those four then both have a play-off.
Only two will of those four will qualify for next summer’s games in Italy who have automatically qualified, along with the nine group winners and the two play-off winners – making a 12-strong tournament.
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