Northern Ireland v Scotland Thursday, 22 September (2:30pm kick off) Danny Blanchflower Stadium, Belfast Scotland v Northern Ireland Sunday, 25 September (2pm kick off) The SMiSA Stadium, Paisley

The Scotland Under-21 squad has a fresh feel to it with 11 first-time call ups in the group named by Scot Gemmill this morning for the upcoming double header against Northern Ireland.

The friendly matches will represent the start of a new cycle for the Under-21s and the beginning of preparations towards the next European Championship qualifying campaign, which will begin next year.

Gemmill's young side will travel to Belfast for a match on Thursday, 22 September at Danny Blanchflower Stadium in Belfast, before hosting Northern Ireland at The SMiSA Stadium in Paisley on Sunday, 25 September.

Just Elliot Anderson, Leon King, Sam Long, Josh Mulligan and Connor Smith remain from the squad who ended the last qualifying campaign with a credible 1-1 draw against Denmark in Vejle in June.

Josh Doig, who has six Under-21 caps, is a welcome boost as he returns after missing the last camp.

A number of players have been promoted from Billy's Stark's Under-19 side, while Ben Doak and Rory Wilson were both part of Brian McLaughlin's side who qualified for the Under-17 European Championships in Israel in June.

Scotland Under-21 Head Coach Scot Gemmill: "It's a really exciting time and a big responsibility to work with largely a new group of players and give them that opportunity to maximise their potential.

"The time they are with us may be small but it's a really important part of their development.

"We have to get that balance right between trying to help the players develop as much as they can and push towards the full squad but at the same time, we try to be as competitive as we can be and to be competitive we have to be organised.

"These games against Northern Ireland will be excellent preparation for the competitive matches next year, and particularly for the new players, it's a chance to show them how we work and what's expected of them tactically.

"With being a Scotland youth international, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that. It's a big thing for these players coming to play for their country and the experience has to be good for them as well so we have to get everything right."

Scotland Under-21 Squad

Elliot Anderson Newcastle United Kieron Bowie Northampton Town (on loan from Fulham) Flynn Clarke Norwich City Tommy Conway Bristol City Matthew Craig Tottenham Hotspur Michael Craig Reading Lucas De Bolle Hamilton Academical (on loan from Newcastle United) Adam Devine Rangers Josh Doig Hellas Veronas Ben Doak Liverpool Jay Hogarth Alloa Athletic (on loan from Rangers) Leon King Rangers Sam Long Boston United (on loan from Lincoln City) Connor McAvoy Fulham Cole McKinnon Partick Thistle (on loan from Rangers) Stuart McKinstry* Motherwell Chris Mochrie* Dunfermline Athletic (on loan from Dundee United) Adam Montgomery St Johnstone (on loan from Celtic) Josh Mulligan Dundee Lewis Neilson* Heart of Midlothian Cieran Slicker Rochdale (on loan from Manchester City) Connor Smith* Heart of Midlothian Rory Wilson* Aston Villa

Denotes Scottish FA JD Performance School graduate