TOMMY Miller will brave the freezing depths of the North Sea this week in a bid to be fit to face Burnley on Saturday, writes Derek Davis.The Ipswich Town midfielder misses out on his first international cap after being forced to pull out of the Scotland squad to play Wales tomorrow with ankle ligament damage.

TOMMY Miller will brave the freezing depths of the North Sea this week in a bid to be fit to face Burnley on Saturday, writes Derek Davis.

The Ipswich Town midfielder misses out on his first international cap after being forced to pull out of the Scotland squad to play Wales tomorrow with ankle ligament damage.

Miller suffered the injury after landing awkwardly early in the 3-1 win over Bradford City on Saturday but gamely carried on for the full 90 minutes.

He had hoped to recover in time to still meet up with Berti Vogts' squad, but that has now been ruled out.

Miller last night said: “I'm deeply disappointed about not being able to play at the Millennium Stadium. I was not totally sure about playing for Scotland at first but now I had made my mind up and was really looking forward to it.

“Berti Vogts did not want me to go down there if I was not going to be able to train but has said there will be other opportunities.”

The 25-year-old is now focussing on being fit for the trip to Turf Moor and that includes double daily doses of treatment with Town physio Dave Williams, and a paddle in the sea at Felixstowe.

Miller said: “I have had it packed in ice since Saturday and have been in for treatment. I have tried sea water before and it has helped so I will be down the beach wading ankle deep this week, however cold it is.”

The £1m bargain buy from Hartlepool has been dogged by injuries this season and has only recently recovered from a thigh strain, a run of bad luck which has knocked him back.

He said: “Being a footballer is the best job in the world but when you get these injuries it can be the most frustrating.”

It is a good job that Miller wants to play for the prestige of international football on the bigger stage, as Vogts has proposed the Scots play for nothing, unless they reach the finals of major competitions such as the World Cup in Germany.

While Miller misses out this week, two Town stars are hoping to win further England caps tonight.

Darren Bent will be looking for further success for the Under-21s against Holland at Hull's sell-out KC Stadium, the ground where he scored a last-minute winner against Serbia & Montenegro last June, while Dean Bowditch continues his climb up the international ladder with an outing for the Under-19s against the Dutch tonight.