MICHAEL Hardie defied medical advice to face England last week - and he is not looking back as Scotland's Under-18 schoolboys squad continue their quest for the Centenary Shield.

The 18-year-old midfielder picked up a hip injury as Scotland thrashed Wales 5-1 at Hamilton last month and was expected to miss the trip to take on the Auld Enemy at Ewood Park last Friday.

However, the Drumchapel High School pupil was determined to feature against England and played his part in a 1-1 draw that keeps Scotland in the hunt for Centenary Shield.

They head to Dublin later this month knowing victory against the Republic of Ireland will see them share the Shield with England - and Hardie wants more of the action.

"England was the best game I have played and the best experience I have had," said Hardie, who plays his club football for Alloa Athletic. "The doctor said I would be out for six to eight weeks but I just strapped it up and played. Everybody said I played well so I must have done something right.

"Everybody wants to play against their rivals and for me - a young Scottish boy - I want to play even if I am injured.

"All the boys are confident - we have got that great spirit now. At the start when we all went to trials nobody had a clue who anybody was but now the spirit is just phenomenal."

Scotland endured a torrid campaign in 2013, losing all four games to finish bottom of the pile but this year there has been a drastic turnaround.

A last-gasp equaliser against Northern Ireland in their tournament opener sealed a 1-1 draw and set the tone and a dominant display against Wales followed.

Fellow Glaswegian Jamie Henry, who attends Clydebank High School, is also in the unbeaten squad and he believes the draw with England is evidence Scotland deserve to share the Shield this year.

And Clydebank midfielder Mikey Hopkins is adamant sharing the prize would not belittle the achievement.

"If we lost then we would have been watching England being presented with the shield, so it was important that we got a result," he said."In the second half, with the chances we had, we could have won the match - but I'm quite happy with the result.

"Playing for your country is brilliant but being in the hunt for the tournament is even better. I don't think it would be any less brilliant to share it as well - it would mean a lot to me."

l TSB, proud partner of the Scottish Schools' FA, is delighted to support the Scotland U18 schoolboys squad for their 2014 Centenary Shield campaign. For all the latest squad news, visit scottishfa.co.uk/ssfa