The Daily Record
Mar 28 2008 By Kevin McGoldrick
KRIS DOOLAN may have broken into the junior international scene but insists he is still focused on delivering success for his club.
The Auchinleck Talbot midfielder has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence after signing from Kello Rovers last summer.
And he is determined to keep delivering the goods for club and country in the hope of being spotted by a senior club.
He said: "The last six months or so have been unbelievable and I haven't had time to get my head around it.
"First of all I signed for Auchinleck Talbot, who are arguably the biggest name in the junior game, then just recently I made my Scotland debut.
"I joined Talbot from Kello Rovers where I had been playing for the past four seasons. I had actually started out with them as a 15-year-old.
"There was talk of other clubs being interested in me but I come from the village of Auchinleck so when I heard of their interest there was only one place I was going.
"My first task was trying to establish myself in the Talbot team and even now I'm not a regular starter.
"But before I arrived I knew it would take time and I have featured at some point in every game so I've got to be happy.
"I'm confident in my ability and the step up from Kello to Auchinleck didn't faze me, even the jump from Talbot to the national set-up doesn't bother me in the slightest.
"When our gaffer Tommy Sloan called to say I'd been selected for the Scotland team I was delighted but a bit surprised it came so soon.
"I played my first game last week and although we suffered a defeat I thought I did pretty well."
However, the 21-year old is quickly learning that this game brings lows as well as highs.
He was brought back down to earth with a bang when Talbot were sent crashing out of the Scottish Cup by rivals Cumnock but is confident they can overcome that disappointment and get back on track to collect other silverware this season.
He said: "Last week was a huge disappointment, especially losing to our fiercest rivals.
"We let ourselves down because we were leading in both the first match then the replay and should have gone on and punished them.
"But that's in the past and I'm sure with the experience we have in the dressing room we will quickly get over it.
"We have a backlog of games to get on with and if we can go on a winning run then the Super League is still a possibility.
"And there are still a few cups up for grabs.
"This is my first season in the top division and hopefully my chance to lift the Scottish Cup will come around but for now I'm focused on helping us win something else."
Doolan may be content with his lot but that doesn't mean he lacks ambition.
He said: "I'm still young and I want to play at the highest level.
"If I continue to raise my game for both club and country then maybe I'll get a chance to play full-time for a senior club.
"But for the moment I'm happy with the way things are progressing."