Striker George Hirst will hope to become the first Town player since John Wark and Alan Brazil in 1982 to represent Scotland at a World Cup finals when the Tartan Army face Morocco in their second group match in Boston this evening (KO 11pm, ITV1).

Wark started all three games for the Scots at the 1982 finals in Spain, while Brazil began the opening fixture against New Zealand and came on as a sub in the other two matches, against Brazil and the Soviet Union.

Midfielder Wark also became the first Blues player to score at a World Cup when he netted twice in three minutes in the 5-2 thrashing of the Kiwis, and remains the only Scot to have done so while with Town.

The last Town player to score at a finals was Matt Holland, who smashed a brilliant equaliser in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Cameroon in 2002.

If he is involved this evening, the 27-year-old would become the 12th Town player to feature at a World Cup finals, Ali Al-Hamadi having taken the total to 11 in Iraq’s 4-1 loss to Norway on Tuesday.

Hirst, who has previously won 10 full caps, scoring once, was an unused sub for Steve Clarke’s side as they beat Haiti in their opening fixture in the early hours of Sunday, but has been tipped for a starting role this evening by Scotland legend Duncan Ferguson.

“We need to make sure that we've got a counter-attack and a threat, we've got to make sure we're worrying the opposition. We just can't sit in and wait for a set-play,” the one-time Everton and Rangers striker told ITV Sport.

“I think I would probably take [Lawrence] Shankland off [the starting line-up]. I don't think that he would suit this game because I think if we're sitting back, we've not got a counter-attack on him.

“So I'd maybe bring in one of the quicker players, maybe [George] Hirst for instance, who’s a bit more mobile than him.”

Scotland currently top the group but Morocco present a significantly stiffer proposition than the Haitians having greatly impressed as they drew 1-1 with Brazil in their opening fixture.

The 10 players have featured at previous World Cups while with Town: Wark and Brazil (Scotland), Mick Mills, Paul Mariner, Terry Butcher (all England), Bontcho Guentchev (Bulgaria), Matt Holland (Republic of Ireland), Amir Karic (Slovenia), Tommy Smith (New Zealand, who will also be at this summer’s finals) and Jonas Knudsen (Denmark).

John Elsworthy (Wales), George Burley (Scotland) and Bartosz Bialkowski (Poland) have been in squads for finals without playing, and in Elsworthy’s case in 1958, without travelling.

Photo: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters