Accrington Stanley striker James Gray has been called up to the Northern Ireland squad ahead of friendlies against Uruguay and Chile on Friday 30th May and Wednesday 4th June respectively.
A regular for the under-21s, Gray couldn't believe he'd been selected, telling Accrington Stanley's official website: "To be honest I thought it was a wind up! I’m just absolutely made up to be in the squad and travel. I’m speechless."
The former Middlesborough youngster has the chance to emulate his father, Phil Gray, who represented NI 26 times, scoring 6 goals.
Gray's call up comes after Huddersfield frontman Martin Paterson was forced to withdraw from the squad after suffering a number of injuries throughout the 2013-14 campaign.
The 21 year old attributes his selection to his recent form at the tail end of the season, featuring more regularly for Stanley, scoring 3 goals in the final 2 games, "I think that was a major part, getting into a bit of scoring form and getting rewarded."
Attention will now turn to a trip to the southern hemisphere and a gilt-edged opportunity of full international honours afforded to him by NI manager Michael O'Neill.
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