McCarthy will stay grounded

Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy insists he is "not going to get carried away" if he is overlooked by the Republic of Ireland.

The youngster, who opened the scoring in his side's 1-1 home draw against Falkirk on Sunday, is hoping to celebrate his 18th birthday with a call-up to the senior squad, although his focus will be on securing a league victory at Hearts on Wednesday.

McCarthy, who has come in for stick from rival fans for his choice to play for his grandfather's nation instead of Scotland, said: "I'll be 18 on Wednesday and it would be great to get a call-up, but as it stands I'm not in the squad yet, so I just play my own game and get on with things.

"Neither the club nor I have heard anything, though, so we'll need to wait and see what happens, but I'm not going to get carried away.

"The stick I've had doesn't bother me - I just get on with my own game, and it was great to score a goal in this match although it was disappointing to lose an equaliser in the second half."