Christie & Gannon-Doak relishing Scotland's long-awaited World Cup return

AFC Bournemouth teammates Ryan Christie and Ben Gannon-Doak are preparing for one of the biggest moments of their careers as Scotland gear up for their first World Cup appearance in almost three decades.

The Cherries duo joined women's team regular Charli Harris on AFC Bournemouth's Boot Room Series to discuss the excitement building ahead of the tournament, with Christie admitting the reality of the occasion is only now starting to sink in.

"I can't wait, obviously, not so long now. It starts to kind of get a bit real, to be honest. When we qualified back in November, you've almost got to park it to the back of your mind because it's a bit far away, but it's just kind of around the corner now."

Filmed before the end of Bournemouth's remarkable run-in, Ben Gannon-Doak, who was starting to return to action after a lengthy period out, suggested that finishing the season strongly remained the priority, but acknowledged the World Cup has been never too far from the players' thoughts.

"For me, it is a bit different - as I was injured, but that was a big motivation for me to get back fit at a good time so I can build myself up to be ready for summer. For me, it's been on my mind every day."

Scotland's qualification has captured the imagination of a nation that has waited since 1998 to see their team return to football's biggest stage.

Christie, who was born shortly before Scotland's last World Cup appearance, spoke about the significance of ending that long absence.

"Everybody's buzzing for it. It's only the older generations that will speak about it and how good it was. There's a good few generations in the middle that have not seen Scotland go to a World Cup in a very long time, so it was amazing to break that and be part of the team that's going".

He continued: "Hopefully, fingers crossed, we both get to go and represent Scotland at a World Cup and hopefully make history and get out of the groups."

The prospect of Scotland facing Bournemouth's Brazilian star Rayan at the tournament has also been discussed, although Gannon-Doak admitted there has been little room for pre-match mind games.

"I don't think there will be anything because the Brazilian boys don't speak English," he joked.

Christie however added: "We might need to ramp that up."

Despite being club teammates, the pair revealed they approach playing against friends very differently.

"I hate playing against my mates, so I need to hate them for a while," Gannon-Doak said.

Christie, meanwhile, takes the opposite view: "I actually enjoy playing against my mates. I think they're quite funny. So, it'll be bizarre. It'll just be a nice touch, obviously playing on probably the biggest stage in football - so it's quite cool to share that with people you know."

The pair also reflected on their shared Scottish roots and the benefits of having a fellow Scot in Bournemouth's dressing room.

"I like having somebody who knows Scottish stuff," Christie said, with Doak adding: "there's a lot of gossip about Scottish football."

Doak agreed, highlighting the occasional language barrier that comes with being north of the border.

"I get hammered," he laughed when discussing how teammates react to his accent.

Both players have taken different paths from Scottish football to the Premier League, but each believes their experiences north of the border helped prepare them for English football.

Doak credited his time at Celtic with helping him adapt to the pressures of the professional game: "I was just buzzing to be there, to be honest, as a Celtic fan," he said.

Christie agreed, saying: "It gave me a massive experience in dealing with big games. When you come down and play in the Premier League or the big stadiums down here, you feel a lot more used to it. There's not many games that compare to an Old Firm, to be honest."

As well as the revelations that Cherries strike Evanilson is partial to a bit of Lewis Capaldi, the pair imparted their Scottish language on the host, and spoke about their footwear, before returning to their immediate focus, which at the time, was getting AFC Bournemouth into Europe, but also what lies ahead this summer.

After helping Scotland end their World Cup exile, Christie and Gannon-Doak have the opportunity to write another chapter in the nation's football history.

Watch the Boot Room on AFCBTV.