COLIN Hendry is refusing to accept that his international career is over.

The Scotland captain, banned for the final three World Cup qualifiers against Croatia, Belgium and Latvia, believes he can still secure a place in Craig Brown's Tartan Army, with a little help from his friends.

"We've got three hard games coming up," the Wanderers' star acknowledged as he assessed the Scots' prospects of reaching next year's finals in Japan and Korea.

"So I need them to do it for me. There are no guarantees that I'll be in after that, of course, but Craig's always said that if I'm playing well, I'll be involved."

Hendry's international future appeared to have been dealt a fatal blow when he received a six-match suspension following the much-publicised elbow incident in the qualifier against San Marino in March - the night when he was inducted into Scotland's Hall of Fame, and celebrated his 51st cap by scoring two goals.

But a successful appeal, which resulted in FIFA reducing the suspension to three matches, offered him a lifeline.

The 36-year-old defender, who is warming up for a Premiership return at the Wanderers' Spanish training camp, is realistic enough to accept that time is running out on the international front. But he is determined to keep his name in the frame.

"I've had a chance to have a good look at things recently and I'm still as eager as ever to play for my country," he insists, "but, if we're not successful in these next three games, it might be a time for the manager to take the team in a different direction. He might even be thinking about that now, I don't know.

"My attitude has always been that, if there's somebody out there who can do the job better than me, I'll stand aside and support the team from the stands instead of on the field. I just hope that doesn't happen just yet."