George Burley has been left frustrated by yet another raft of withdrawals ahead of Scotland's friendly against the Czech Republic on Friday.Burley's squad was decimated before his first game in charge of Scotland against Croatia in March but he cobbled together a side that fought its way to a creditable 1-1 draw at Hampden.

Ahead of the trip to Prague, Burley was again left counting heads after Rangers striker Kris Boyd became the latest player to withdraw his services.

In addition to Boyd, Ibrox team-mates Kevin Thomson and Steven Whittaker are out, along with James McFadden and Alan Hutton, with a calf injury and infected toe, respectively.

Hibernian's Steven Fletcher also failed to train due to a chest injury and is doubtful.

Despite the withdrawals that threaten to render the friendly match almost meaningless, Burley insists the national side is still important to his players.

He said: "Scotland has not qualified for a major tournament for 10 years so I am trying to have as good a preparation as possible for the qualifiers (beginning in September).

"Of course you want all your players available, which unfortunately wasn't the case against Croatia or for this game against the Czech Republic on Friday.

"It is frustrating but maybe that comes with the territory.

"I named 23 players, which I thought would cover us, but we are virtually down to the bare bones.

"However, we still have a strong squad with a lot of ability, although hopefully we don't get any more injuries.

"But there's nothing I can do about it.

"At the end of the day, players have to be fit, hungry and available to play for their country.

"I still think there is a big value on playing for Scotland. If you ask the players here will say that it is important to play for your country."

Motherwell striker David Clarkson has been the only player added to the squad.

Burley admitted drafting more players in at this stage of the season was problematic but insists he will still be able to field a strong side against a team who will be appearing at this summer's European Championships.

He said: "At this time of the season, you are limited because people are away on holiday.

"And remember that the season finished three or four weeks (ago) in England.

"But we've got a good squad and there are players who will make their debut.

"We have a good nucleus of young players and that is encouraging for the future."

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