Having the talent to be in the right place at the right time is a valuable asset for any striker.
For Tommy Conway, the timing of his rise to the forefront of Steve Clarke’s ruminations has presented him with the opportunity of a lifetime.
When Scotland qualified for the Euro 2024 finals last October, it’s fair to say the Bristol City forward wasn’t on anyone’s radar when the make-up of Clarke’s Germany squad was being debated.
Now, just over a week before the Scots open the tournament against the hosts in Munich, 21-year-old Conway has earned a dream late call-up.
Tommy Conway scored for the Under-21s in their 2-1 friendly defeat to Turkey
Steve Clarke has promoted the Bristol City striker to his Under-21 squad
Lyndon Dykes is carried off the Lesser Hampden pitch on a stretcher after suffering an injury
The loss of the injured Lyndon Dykes, Clarke’s regular point man for much of his tenure, left a vacancy in an area of the pitch where Scotland is hardly loaded with options. With Liverpool youngster Ben Doak also out, there was a need for Clarke to add to his attacking options.
Southampton striker Che Adams highlighted his claims to be Clarke’s first choice when he came off the bench to score a fine goal in the 2-0 friendly win over Gibraltar in Faro on Monday evening.
Beyond that, the general waste in and around the penalty area against opponents ranked 203rd in the world simply underlined Clarke’s need for reliable attacking alternatives.
While the seniors squandered chances in the Algarve, Conway scored three goals in his last three games for Scotland Under-21s as they lost 2-1 to Turkey in a friendly in Istanbul.
Born in Taunton in Somerset, with a West Country accent to match, Conway’s allegiance to dark blue has never wavered.
He qualifies to play for Scotland through his late grandfather Danny, who hailed from Stirling, while his father Joe has always remained an avid Tartan Army enthusiast.
Conway has been with Bristol City since joining their academy as a seven-year-old and has proven to be one of their most successful graduates.
After loan spells at neighboring clubs Yate Town and Bath City in the seventh and sixth tiers of English football respectively, Conway broke into the first team for his boyhood club at the age of 18 with five appearances towards the end of the 2020–21 season. .
He scored his first goal in a 4–1 defeat at Millwall in May 2021, but did not immediately establish himself in the senior side at Ashton Gate and made only six substitute appearances in the 2021–22 season.
Conway’s breakout season came in 2022-23, when he hit the ground running with seven goals in his first 11 games and quickly became a fan favorite for the Robins.
He finished the season with a total of 12, which earned him the club’s Golden Boot, but City’s early hopes of promotion disappeared as they finished 14th in the Championship.
Conway’s profile was raised significantly in January this year when he played a key role in City’s surprise FA Cup third round success against West Ham.
He scored the equalizer in the 1-1 draw at the London Stadium before grabbing the only goal of the replay against their Premier League opponents at Ashton Gate.
A composed finisher who also links play intelligently, Conway was City’s top scorer again this season despite a hamstring injury that sidelined him from early August to late September. He again scored twelve goals and City finished in eleventh place.
Conway in action for Scotland Under-21s against Kazakhstan in March
Striker Tommy Conway scored twelve goals for Bristol City last season
Conway will make the step up from Under-21s to the Scotland senior team
First called up by Scotland Under-21 coach Scot Gemmill in September 2022, he had to wait until his fifth appearance before scoring his first goal for his country.
It was an emotional moment for Conway, who was also captain on that occasion, when he scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Norway in Murcia last summer.
“When I walked out with the team that day, I thought about my grandfather and I also scored my first goal,” he later recalled.
‘It’s one thing to think I’m making him proud. I also know how much it means to my father and my family. I’m thrilled to be going with Scotland and I know how proud my family is of that.”
Conway’s progress has not only been noticed by Steve Clarke this season. He has been linked to several English Premier League clubs, including Wolves and Brentford, and has made no secret of his ambition to play at the highest level as soon as possible.
Ideally for Conway, this would happen in the form of promotion at his beloved Bristol City, where he will remain under contract until the summer of 2025. His list of potential candidates is only likely to grow after his late call-up for the European Championship.
“If I get the call up that would be great, it would be a proud moment,” he said recently when quizzed on the likelihood of him earning a place in Clarke’s squad.
‘But if not, it won’t be the end of the world. There will be many more tournaments in the future that I can look forward to.
‘You have to allow yourself to dream. That’s what it’s all about. Dreams come true and stuff like that. If it’s not this one, it’s this one: World Cups, Euros. Let’s dream big and take Scotland to the World Cup and the European Championships and do well there.’
As Conway realized last night, dreams can come true when they are least expected.