By Scott McDermott

Copyright dailyrecord

Ben Gannon Doak has been here before. Like at 17, when he exploded onto the scene at Celtic and lit up Parkhead with a debut off the bench. Then again, two months later, when he sealed a dream move to Premier League giants Liverpool where he got to learn off Mo Salah. Hype. So far in his fledgling career, it has followed Gannon Doak around. And it’s not going away anytime soon. Because last month, Bournemouth splashed out £25million to pry him from Anfield. And for his country, a nation expects. At just 19, the winger is adored by the Tartan Army. Scotland fans see him as a saviour for Steve Clarke’s side. A game changer, a difference maker. The kid who can take us to the World Cup. That would be a weight of expectation on the shoulders of even the most experienced of players. For someone so young, it’s even heavier. Gannon Doak senses supporters’ faith in him. But he’s adamant that he doesn’t feel the pressure. He’s determined not to let it be a burden that holds him back. The teenager admits it affected him before, maybe at Parkhead when he broke through. But Gannon Doak says the lessons he’s learned at Liverpool with some of the world’s best players will keep his feet firmly on the ground. He was terrific on Monday night in Scotland’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Belarus in Hungary. He tormented one full-back so much, he had to be replaced at half-time. But Gannon Doak won’t get carried away. Not this time. When asked how he manages to keep such a level-head, he said: “It comes from moving from a club like Liverpool where I was around a certain calibre of player. “You learn that you’ve got a long way to go in the game. You learn about the level that’s required to be a world class player when you see the guys in that squad. “I don’t even have to name the names. It has shown me that I’ve got such a long way to go. “It’s brilliant to feel that (expectation) from the Scotland fans but I don’t look at social media. Because it can very easily go the other way. “Fans can get on to you, I’ve seen it with other players. I try to never get too high or too low. I don’t want to let the praise or stick affect me. “It’s about keeping my head in the game, that’s all you can do. “I don’t really feel the pressure, I don’t look at all that stuff. I fell into that trap before when I was a bit younger and it can really take its toll on you. “I’ve learned not to look at it and enjoy what I’m doing. I’ve been playing football since I was four or five years old. I’m getting to do what I love.” Gannon Doak looked in the mood against Belarus right from the off in Zalaegerszeg the other night. Constantly being fed by his former Anfield team-mate Andy Robertson, he needed no encouragement to drive at the home defence. Poor right-back Sergei Karpovich might have needed therapy at the break after being kept inside, as Belarus tried to contain the youngster. Gannon Doak made a big contribution to Scotland’s steady start in qualifying, picking up four points out of six in Group C. He said: “You get a feeling and you grow into the game. It depends on how the full-back feels as well but I try not to look too deep into stuff like that. “I just focus on myself and my own game. Their full-back got subbed at half-time, of course. But I got subbed at half-time on my Bournemouth debut so what does that tell you? “You can get taken off for any number of reasons. So I don’t look too much into it, it’s all about my own game. “It helps having Robbo behind me, it’s brilliant. I’ve been training with him since I was 16, 17. We’ve got to know each other on the pitch and off it. “Everyone knows how good he is, he’s won everything there is to win. It’s great playing in front of him because he makes things a lot easier for me. “It was a good camp overall, getting four points. We enjoyed Monday night but we’ll now go back to our clubs, get down to business, and get ready for next month.” Gannon Doak knows he’s not the finished article yet. He’s aware that his decision making and end product in the final third still needs sharpening up. That’s why Clarke left him out of the Scotland side for their first qualifier – a 0-0 draw with Denmark last Friday. The winger wasn’t happy with it but he accepted it. And he’s hoping that playing under outstanding Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola will make him a better player – before the October double-header against Greece and Belarus at Hampden. He said: “You can talk about how to improve your decision making all you want but the only way to do that is by playing games. “The more and more you play, the more situations arise. If you get one wrong, you need to think in your head – the next time that happens, I’m going to do this or that. “It’s just a matter of experience. “I’m always disappointed not to play a game of football. But the gaffer is the gaffer. It’s his decision. He spoke to me, along with the rest of the staff. “I felt good in training before the Denmark game but I understood the decision, even if I don’t understand it. I have to accept it.” Certainly, when the Greeks come to Glasgow next month, Gannon Doak will expect to be in the side. The Tartan Army will want him out there too. And after a decent start in this section, the boy from Dalry has his eyes on a World Cup appearance in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. He said: “I just want to go back to Bournemouth now and get more minutes. If I do that at club level, I’ll come back for Scotland even sharper and who knows what might happen? “Maybe we could get to the World Cup. It would be a dream come true to play in a World Cup and it’s something to aim for. But it’s far ahead so I push it to the back of my mind.”