The Falkirk keeper got 45 minutes against Ivory Coast on Tuesday and is now targeting a place in Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad

Scott Bain in action for Scotland

Scott Bain hopes he did enough in his cameo against Ivory Coast to gatecrash Scotland’s World Cup squad.

The Falkirk keeper was given 45 minutes to stake his claim and impress Steve Clarke at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday night.

He replaced fellow back-up goalie, Liam Kelly, at half-time in the 1-0 defeat.

Bain didn’t just keep a clean sheet – he made a major contribution in the game when he denied Manchester United winger Amad Diallo with a stunning save.

The 34-year-old was pleased with his performance after an excellent campaign at club level.

Incredibly, Bain’s last cap for Scotland before Tuesday night was seven years ago.

That’s why he says it would be a dream come true to be part of Clarke’s squad for America this summer.

He said: “It would be great for me personally to go to a World Cup.

“It’s something I try not to think about day to day.

“But last week was a good break for me in terms of getting away from the league and Scottish football’s hustle and bustle.

“I also got to train with some real, top-quality players and test myself at international level.

“It would mean a lot to me to get there especially given the circumstances with me coming back into it and playing.

“It could cap off what could be an amazing season for me.

“The manager was good enough to give me a cap on Tuesday night and a platform to go and impress.

“It was an opportunity for me to try and get into that squad of goalkeepers for the World Cup.

“I’m obviously grateful for that. It’s in the hands of the manager but hopefully I’ve done enough.”

Bain is fighting it out with Angus Gunn, Craig Gordon and Kelly for three goalkeeping spots at the World Cup.

But he did his chances no harm on Merseyside, especially after his brilliant one-handed stop to thwart Diallo in the second half.

Bain said: “I spoke to the manager before the game and he said I’d come on at half-time.

“Sometimes it can be a bit of an awkward situation coming on midway through the game.

“But I really enjoyed it. I felt relaxed out there and it was nice to have a good moment in the game. Overall, I’m delighted.

“I just remember Diallo cutting in and I’d watched videos of him bending shots in the far corner.

“But when he cut in again, he struck it well and I was in a decent enough position to get a hand on it and put it round the post.”

Scott Bain makes a save

Clarke and Scotland were the subject of some jeering from the Tartan Army after two narrow defeats to Japan and Ivory Coast.

But Bain is adamant the two World Cup warm-up games were worthwhile exercises ahead of the tournament where they’ll face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.

He said: “We played some really good stuff on Tuesday night.

“We played some good attacking football but they defended really well.

“We were unlucky not to get something from the game but we’ve just played against two teams at a really high level.

“Japan were technical, quick and moved the ball well. Ivory Coast were the same but even more physical.

“You could see on the counter-attack how quick they were from nothing when they end up on the edge of your box.

“Overall, we dealt with it well and created our own chances, which was really pleasing.

“You want to win every game but it gave the manager a chance to see some players and try a different formation.

“There has to be a little bit of perspective.

“With the World Cup coming up, the manager will no doubt see these games as being hugely beneficial.”