YORK City's youth team defender Graeme Law was hoping to earn his first international cap tonight when Scotland Under-19s take on Switzerland.

Law is part of a 16-man Scottish squad that will tackle the Swiss at Dumbarton's Strachlyde Homes Stadium, kick-off 7.30pm.

The friendly is part of Scotland's preparations for the qualifying rounds for the U19 European Championship finals, to be staged in Liechenstein in July 2003.

Copmanthorpe-based Law will be hoping to impress sufficiently tonight to earn selection for the squad, which will compete in the first round qualifying tournament in Slovenia next month.

The young Scots will play three games in a week - against the host nation, Yugoslavia and Iceland - with the winners and runners-up progressing to the second qualifying round.

Law, who qualifies for Scotland through his parents, is in the second year of his scholarship at City and can play anywhere down the right.

Should he be capped tonight he will join a growing list of current City players to have enjoyed international recognition.

Aside from Turkish U19 international Levent Yalcin, goalkeeper Russ Howarth has been capped at England U20 level and will be hoping to keep his place in the U-21 squad for matches against Slovakia and Macedonia next month.

In August, goalkeeper Alan Fettis, capped 25 times by his country, was called up by Northern Ireland for their friendly with Cyprus but was ruled out as he recovered from a broken finger.

In the current City squad, Mike Basham, Stephen Brackstone and Richard Cooper have all played at England youth level. Alex Mathie has also been capped at Scottish youth level, Graham Potter by England U21s, while Lee Nogan is a full Welsh international.

Howarth, Potter, Basham and Yalcin were all in action at Bootham Crescent this afternoon when City reserves entertained Huddersfield Town, kick-off 2pm.

The match is the first of three that form the Avon Insurance League Cup first round. City will also play against Barnsley and Hull City in the four-team group.

City reserves from: Howarth, Okoli, O'Kane, Wood, Wise, Basham, Mazzina, Wilding, Rogerio, Yalcin, Potter, Davies, Collinson, Arthur, Baynes, Ashcroft.

City slipped to sixth in the Division Three table after Wrexham beat Darlington 1-0 at Feethams last night to climb into third place.

Updated: 11:20 Wednesday, September 25, 2002