ON-LOAN Kelty Hearts forward Alfie Bavidge has been called up to the Scotland under-19 squad for two friendly matches later this month.

The 17-year-old, who joined the League One outfit on a temporary basis from Aberdeen in September, is one of 20 players selected for matches with Turkey and Latvia.

Billy Stark's young squad will travel to Croatia for the fixtures, which take place on February 13 and 16 respectively, in preparation for next month's UEFA Euro 2024 Elite Round.

Bavidge, who has also been capped at under-17 level, has so far played seven times for the under-19s - all in 2023 - scoring once, in a 2-2 draw with Czechia in September.

He played in a trio of matches - against Bulgaria, Andorra and Serbia - in November, which saw the Scots finish top of their group to qualify for the Elite Round, and is now in line to add to his age level appearances for the national side.

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After originally joining until January from his boyhood club, Dons youth product Bavidge has scored four goals in 14 appearances for Kelty so far.

Last month, they reached an agreement with the SPFL Premiership outfit that the player would remain at New Central Park for the remainder of the season.

Due to his call-up, Bavidge, who scored in a 4-1 loss to the University of Stirling in the East of Scotland Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, could be set to miss fixtures at home to Edinburgh City, on Tuesday February 13, and at Montrose, four days later.

In the UEFA 2024 Elite Round, Scotland have been drawn alongside Czechia, Georgia and Italy in Group Five, with the matches being hosted in Italy.