:00:00. > :00:07.we need you to vote on people's portrait when the lines open this
:00:07. > :00:10.Friday. For now, good luck on tonight's football. A bit of luck
:00:11. > :00:15.would be nice, Alex. Welcome to Sportscene, only once has the
:00:15. > :00:17.Scotland football team ended the qualifying stages for a major
:00:17. > :00:25.international tournament in the bottom spot.
:00:25. > :00:27.That was back in the early 80s, Gordon Strachan was a player and
:00:27. > :00:34.then stage and he doesn't fancy the same again as the Scotland manager.
:00:34. > :00:40.It is live on the BBC. We will hear later from these two, Pat Nevin and
:00:40. > :00:42.Craig Gordon, but let's get straight to Skopje and our commentary team,
:00:42. > :00:50.Billy Dodds and Liam McLeod. It is exactly one year since
:00:50. > :00:56.Macedonia visited Hampden park in what many felt was a must win match
:00:56. > :01:01.for Scotland. The Scots have gone rapidly downhill since then in this
:01:01. > :01:05.group. The win in Zagreb apart. This has been one of the poorest ever
:01:05. > :01:10.attempt to qualify for a major finals in memory. The Potter date --
:01:10. > :01:13.possibility of finishing at the bottom of the group, like San
:01:13. > :01:20.Marino, the Faroe Islands elsewhere, is now a distinct,
:01:20. > :01:24.horrific possibility. They can also still finished third, albeit that
:01:24. > :01:33.would take two wins and a strange set of results elsewhere.
:01:34. > :02:56.# But we can still rise now. # And be the nation again.
:02:56. > :03:03.# But we can still rise now. # And be the nation again. # But we can
:03:03. > :03:07.still rise now. # And be the nation again.
:03:07. > :03:56.this group of Scotland players will try and win both their remaining
:03:56. > :04:01.matches in a bid to try and stave off the bottom spot, both here in
:04:01. > :04:04.Skopje and when Croatia visit Glasgow in the final match of the
:04:04. > :04:10.group next month. Freddie's defeated to build and was
:04:10. > :04:16.disappointed but hardly unexpected. As Michael Friday's defeat.
:04:16. > :04:25.Macedonia are the only team in the group ranked below Scotland in the
:04:25. > :04:29.FIFA world rankings. They have been buoyed by wins over Bulgaria last
:04:29. > :04:40.month and the Welsh, also here last Friday night.
:04:40. > :04:50.Last time the Scots were here, they also lost, George Burley's first
:04:50. > :05:00.competitive match in charge of the national side. The Macedonian coach
:05:00. > :05:07.has handed player-3-macro is first international start.
:05:07. > :05:17.The officials tonight or from France and led by a 41-year-old banker, ,
:05:17. > :05:25.Fredy Fautrel. David Marshall, looking to pick up
:05:25. > :05:33.his first clean sheet as a Scotland goalkeeper. He hasn't been on the
:05:33. > :05:37.winning side, either, when he has been selected. Of course, Alan
:05:37. > :05:42.McGregor, the first choice now, injured.
:05:42. > :05:50.Scott Brown and Goran Pandev, what a talent he is. He bossed things at
:05:50. > :06:01.pound -- and in part in the meeting 12 months ago. -- at Hampden. James
:06:01. > :06:12.Forrest has been worsening an injury so he and the suspended Snodgrass
:06:12. > :06:19.will not play tonight. It is a first start for Watford's Ikechi Anya on
:06:19. > :06:28.the left. The Scots go looking for a second group a victory.
:06:28. > :06:37.Although Scotland fans hope and some sect that macro expected from the
:06:37. > :06:42.Serbia and Macedonia double-header ideal ago six points, but 12 months
:06:42. > :06:46.later the Scots still haven't picked up six points, just the win over
:06:46. > :06:50.Croatia to go with the opening drawers in a campaign full of
:06:50. > :06:55.disappointment. There was disappointment here the last time
:06:55. > :07:05.the Scots visited Skopje in George Burley's competitive fixture. The
:07:05. > :07:09.arena has had a face-lift since then. They have spent something in
:07:09. > :07:15.the region of £60 million on a refurbishment. Sadly, the pitch
:07:15. > :07:19.looks in need of an upgrade, Billy Dodds. Yes, it looks really poor.
:07:19. > :07:25.There is an athletics track around here and you wonder what kind of
:07:25. > :07:27.sport is played on the pitch. I saw people out replacing holes. Gordon
:07:27. > :07:37.Strachan was talking about it before the game. I can only imagine how
:07:37. > :07:42.Gordon Strachan is failing. Looking at the two games played so far, we
:07:42. > :07:46.thought Serbia would be the hard one, but for me Macedonia was the
:07:46. > :07:49.hard won at Hampden. I would take one point here tonight and I am sure
:07:49. > :07:55.Gordon Strachan would come as well, and a good performance. I would bite
:07:55. > :08:06.the hand of them for that win. Fourth meeting with Macedonia. This
:08:06. > :08:07.is Ikechi Anya. He looked quite lively against Belgium on Friday
:08:07. > :08:20.night. Both Mulgrew and Brown were
:08:20. > :08:25.excellent in the engine room against the Belgians. You can see the bobble
:08:25. > :08:36.on the ball as it made its way across to Alan Hutton.
:08:37. > :08:42.Already we are seeing some good movement in the final third.
:08:42. > :08:49.We look as if we are getting support, Shaun Maloney find himself
:08:49. > :08:57.in that left channel. I doubt whether that was offside at all, but
:08:57. > :09:09.good movement, good to see Maloney getting into those times of areas.
:09:09. > :09:21.It will be interesting to see how he plays, the number eight. He plays in
:09:21. > :09:27.the Second Division in Spain. High hopes for him. That is Alan Hutton
:09:27. > :09:37.going along looking for the run of Brown. And we're back with Thomas
:09:37. > :09:42.Bukovsky, the Macedonian goalkeeper. As macro Tomislav Packovski. --
:09:42. > :09:54.Tomislav Packovski. Player-5-macro, the man who opened
:09:54. > :09:58.the scoring at Hampden park, Kenny Miller cancelled it out. It really
:09:58. > :10:22.has been one big struggle since then. -- player-5-macro.
:10:22. > :10:28.Ikechi Anya cannot prevent the corner, the first of the match and
:10:28. > :10:33.it goes to the hosts. He had to cover, because Steven Whittaker was
:10:33. > :10:36.sucked into the central role, and Anya has too much the overlapping
:10:36. > :10:40.full-back. He did that with aplomb but had to
:10:40. > :10:53.give away the corner, good defence by Anya.
:10:53. > :10:56.Three to fit in the middle in red, but we are setting up for another
:10:56. > :11:12.corner. Pandev of Napoli going to take this,
:11:12. > :11:19.30 years old, he seems to have been around for ever.
:11:19. > :11:31.I was worried about the back post area, but not to matter, David
:11:31. > :11:48.Marshall claimant collected. Grant Hanley on his 10th cap
:11:48. > :11:53.tonight. He and Russell Martin came in and played so well against
:11:53. > :11:57.Croatia in June. Gordon Strachan has stuck with them.
:11:58. > :12:18.In behind Giorgevski, almost found Steven Naismith, as well. A positive
:12:18. > :12:32.run. There is no flag this time. He
:12:32. > :12:38.decided to have a go, it just dropped over his shoulder. I think
:12:38. > :12:42.it is sitting there to be hit. He certainly knew really goal was. He
:12:42. > :12:46.couldn't get the direction, Steven Naismith, but it was a good effort.
:12:46. > :13:03.A lovely height to try and find the far post. it was a good ball across,
:13:03. > :13:14.Maloney and Naismith were in there, just about How important would win
:13:14. > :13:17.tonight be? It would be massive in terms of confidence, get off the
:13:17. > :13:20.bottom of the group. We shouldn't be finishing there but that is where we
:13:20. > :13:22.are and we have to be realistic, it will be a tough job against
:13:22. > :14:15.Macedonia, they are a good team. Already, we saw on Friday night,
:14:15. > :14:21.Leigh Griffiths, he was a peripheral figure, really. It was just the way
:14:21. > :14:24.the Belgians played the game, they didn't allow us into the match at
:14:24. > :14:28.all. But already, we are seeing, didn't allow us into the match at
:14:28. > :14:37.albeit against a lesser opponent, Naismith and Maloney and Griffiths
:14:37. > :14:44.making an impact on this match. It is the difference in quality. We
:14:44. > :14:48.have to be realistic. We have to be judged... We are as good as
:14:48. > :15:15.Macedonia, we just have to prove it and we haven't yet this campaign.
:15:15. > :15:26.Macedonia came from Potter five when the draw was made for this group --
:15:26. > :15:33.pot five. Scotland were in pot four, worried looks like will be for
:15:33. > :15:37.friends 2016, the draw for which is made in mid-February. -- Frantz
:15:37. > :16:14.2016. Still no great pressure on us,
:16:14. > :16:23.allowing us to get on the ball, get a feel of it.
:16:23. > :16:29.Something that Scotland are not blessed with the night of the front
:16:29. > :16:35.its height, Steven Naismith is the tallest at five feet ten.
:16:35. > :16:41.Grant Hanley will be looking for a strong start. It was his error that
:16:41. > :16:44.led to the second Belgian goal on Friday. Just as it looked as though
:16:44. > :17:06.it was petering out to a 1-0 defeat. They have done a terrific job with
:17:06. > :17:19.the stadium here. It is all enclosed now, but 33,000 capacity, not even
:17:19. > :17:39.half full tonight. Janevski, the Macedonian coach, on the right.
:17:39. > :17:46.Too much on at that time. They are going to try and get the ball to him
:17:46. > :17:53.as often as they can and you can see why. He certainly looks an outlet so
:17:53. > :18:34.far. He looks the danger man to Scotland.
:18:34. > :18:38.Good play by Alan Hutton, brought down. Free kick level with the
:18:38. > :18:51.penalty spot. No doubt there, Hutton goes to the
:18:51. > :18:57.deck, pics of the free kick in a dangerous position. -- picks up.
:18:57. > :19:12.Wrist of skee was the offender, plays his football in Italy.
:19:12. > :19:16.It has got to be two or three yards further out, make the goalkeeper
:19:16. > :19:38.think. It was too close to him. We haven't seen much of the number
:19:38. > :20:15.nine Macedonia. When Scotland were losing to Belgium
:20:15. > :20:48.on Friday night, Macedonia were beating Wales 2-1.
:20:48. > :20:57.There is a good zip about the Scottish performance so far.
:20:57. > :21:01.Roar goes up from the Macedonian fans as Goran Pandev picks it up on
:21:01. > :21:31.the counter. David Marshall prevents the corner,
:21:31. > :21:34.to the anger of the natives. The linesman, you can see him, that is
:21:34. > :21:39.where he was standing. He couldn't cover the distance to see whether it
:21:39. > :21:52.was out or not, we may have got away with one there.
:21:52. > :21:58.He would love a clean sheet tonight, David Marshall. It is 19 goals in
:21:58. > :22:07.seven caps that he has conceded. Kiichi and yet testing Georgievski
:22:07. > :22:35.again. I like the movement, they are
:22:35. > :22:41.playing the two lines of America for and the likes of Maloney, they don't
:22:41. > :22:53.know whether to leave him or move into the space -- two lines of four.
:22:53. > :23:20.Speaker it will be difficult for the
:23:20. > :23:27.Scottish tonight with set pieces, crossing it in, with the Macedonian
:23:27. > :24:11.height. 1,000 Scotland fans, we think, made
:24:11. > :24:12.the trip to the Balkans for the third time this campaign. They have
:24:12. > :24:28.been to Serbia and Croatia already. Pandev trying to hook it towards
:24:28. > :24:33.goal. He was in between three bodies, it was too easy, in terms of
:24:33. > :24:37.what Scotland want to do defensively. He just couldn't get to
:24:37. > :24:46.touch he needed to control it. But the danger was there. By a long way,
:24:46. > :24:50.Pandev is the top scorer in Macedonia's International history.
:24:50. > :24:57.26 times he has scored in 73 caps before tonight.
:24:57. > :25:03.Big basketball finals on in Macedonia just now, perhaps that is
:25:03. > :25:11.something to do with the crowd. It wasn't great when Chris Coleman's
:25:11. > :25:13.Wales were here on Friday either. They had independence day to
:25:13. > :25:16.celebrate on Sunday two, 22 years has passed since they broke away
:25:16. > :25:33.from the former Yugoslavia. Ikechi Anya was in lots of space on
:25:33. > :25:50.the left hand side. He is still there. Still out there.
:25:50. > :25:58.Gordon Strachan, always so animated. He said yesterday, he just wants to
:25:58. > :26:01.get some wins under the belt. It is all very well about people talking
:26:01. > :26:08.about the fact they are moving forward, there is more positivity in
:26:08. > :26:18.the camp, he beat Estonia in his first match in charge at the tawdry,
:26:18. > :26:19.and then the wind in Croatia. -- at Pittodrie and then the winning
:26:19. > :26:30.and then the wind in Croatia. -- at Croatia was most unexpected.
:26:30. > :26:36.You have to say, it is a much better Scottish performance than we saw
:26:36. > :26:38.against the same opposition 12 months ago. It is practically the
:26:38. > :26:43.against the same opposition 12 same team, a couple of changes but
:26:43. > :27:01.pretty much the same side that Macedonia have put out there.
:27:01. > :27:09.Macedonia certainly weren't giving the ball away as often at Hampden
:27:09. > :27:17.Park. Its users to come here, we have lost control and we can -- it
:27:17. > :27:17.suits us to come here, we have looked control and we can
:27:18. > :28:03.counterattack. Good loud call. Two crosses he has
:28:03. > :28:20.had to deal with. There was a little push their on
:28:20. > :28:56.Naismith. Spotted by the French official.
:28:56. > :29:05.It has gone right through to Bukovsky, an anti-climax.
:29:05. > :29:11.Et al a lot of pace on it, they were never going to be able to get onto
:29:11. > :29:23.the end of it, the three players on the right-hand side of the box.
:29:23. > :29:26.The man in the middle just having a quick word with Grant Hanley for
:29:26. > :30:11.that. Maloney trying to knock it off the
:30:11. > :30:13.Macedonian player, but it didn't work. So the pressure will continue
:30:13. > :30:53.on the Scottish defence. Martin is primarily a fallback at
:30:53. > :31:05.his club, Norwich City -- a full back.
:31:05. > :31:11.John Toshack left Macedonia last year, just before World Cup
:31:11. > :31:51.qualification got underway. That was the one area where there
:31:51. > :31:57.was nobody in a Scottish jersey, but again, that is the outlet. It is his
:31:57. > :32:01.determination to get there, great pace. It is a pity Barry back and
:32:01. > :32:03.had gone to the front post. If he had hand-out, he might have had a
:32:03. > :32:42.better opportunity -- Barry Bannon. A lot of good passing from Scotland
:32:42. > :32:49.tonight, they are retaining the ball a lot better than they have had died
:32:50. > :32:58.macro in other matches -- than they have in other matches.
:32:58. > :33:05.That is a quart of -- quality class in from Anya. I think he should have
:33:05. > :33:07.done better, Steven Naismith, it doesn't look as if he is a long way
:33:08. > :33:30.off the ground. Look who is on his own again,
:33:30. > :33:36.Giorgevski trying to get back at him. The change of pace, almost came
:33:36. > :33:42.back to Naismith. Brown will retrieve.
:33:42. > :33:46.That is good play from Scotland once more. This time it came down the
:33:46. > :33:57.right flank with Alan Hutton. Nearly twice for Steven Naismith,
:33:57. > :34:01.again from Anya, outstanding wing play, a quality cross, as well. Then
:34:01. > :34:04.Naismith, again, nearly on the end of it, Hutton that time. Nearly
:34:04. > :34:16.there. Well, it is the first Scotland
:34:16. > :34:18.corner of the match, Barry Bannan. The keeper thought about coming,
:34:18. > :34:29.changed his mind. Grant Hanley has already scored in
:34:29. > :34:33.this qualification campaign. This is obviously a training ground
:34:33. > :34:36.set piece because the two or three at the front post turn as if they
:34:36. > :34:41.are running into their own men and split again, and it leaves Hanley on
:34:41. > :34:45.his own at the back post, you just can't direct it on target. They look
:34:45. > :34:50.like they are really open, they don't look comfortable playing at
:34:50. > :34:53.home. At Hampden Park they were able to come and attack us, but tonight
:34:54. > :34:58.the onus is on them and we are causing them problems tonight,
:34:58. > :34:59.especially in behind the midfield and back line, they are finding a
:34:59. > :35:10.lot of space in there. Babunski we have not seen much of
:35:10. > :35:15.yet, but he has floated that one forward for Goran Pandev.
:35:16. > :35:21.New has hardly touched it in the match so far, Pandev.
:35:21. > :35:23.He has pretty much spent his entire career in Italy. He went to Napoli
:35:23. > :35:35.couple of summers ago. He was at Inter Milan and Lazio, as
:35:35. > :35:53.well, it was at Lazio that he played a really prominent role in Serie A.
:35:53. > :36:07.Sikov beat Naismith to it. The flag is up.
:36:07. > :36:14.All that is missing is a goal, isn't it? There is no doubt they have been
:36:14. > :36:21.pretty solid in defence, a good, high line, nullified Pandev's space.
:36:21. > :36:26.Certainly the three in behind Steven Naismith are causing loads of
:36:26. > :36:30.problems. Brown finds himself facing Pandev on
:36:30. > :36:41.the edge of his own penalty area. Well dealt with.
:36:41. > :37:15.The pitch in that half is cutting up dreadfully now, as Mulgrew goes
:37:15. > :37:21.down, Babunski picks up and finds Pandev, and there is a rampaging run
:37:21. > :37:34.to the left from Aleksandar Trajkovski. He couldn't find him.
:37:34. > :37:56.I hear Serbia have taken the lead against Wales, 1-0. That is the
:37:56. > :38:01.other game taking place in the group tonight. Gordon Strachan, pensive.
:38:01. > :38:07.He must be reasonably happy with what he is seeing out there, though.
:38:07. > :38:11.It is not often in recent times that Scotland have come to an away
:38:11. > :38:15.fixture, a competitive away fixture, against a troublesome side, and had
:38:15. > :38:29.the better of the opening half an hour. They certainly have tonight.
:38:29. > :38:40.Naismith, Bannan and Maloney all in the box. Goalkick only.
:38:40. > :38:45.He has been the star man so far. Blessed with great pains, as well,
:38:46. > :38:49.causing problems, but that delivery, as well, he can be quick, rabbit,
:38:50. > :38:57.but sometimes the delivery lets you down. His certainly hasn't so far.
:38:57. > :39:02.-- he can be quick, rapid. He is going to come from nowhere, Ikechi
:39:02. > :39:07.Anya, he has had a good season and a half with Watford.
:39:07. > :39:11.Nigerian father, Romanian mother, he started his life in Castlemilk in
:39:11. > :39:15.Glasgow. Naismith has managed to feed it through for Brown, what a
:39:15. > :39:22.chance! That should be 1-0 to the visitors.
:39:22. > :39:28.The best chance of the game so far. First thoughts, I am thinking, lift
:39:28. > :39:32.it! Brilliant for Naismith, he gets off his markers. A lovely ball
:39:32. > :39:40.through, I think he just has to pop it over the goalkeeper, Scott Brown.
:39:40. > :39:53.Very encouraging. The goalkeeper is fuel, Tomislav Packovski.
:39:53. > :40:03.Only two targets in the box there, Brown and Bannan. Naismith had
:40:03. > :40:09.started the move. Yes, but they are knocking on the
:40:09. > :40:11.door. They haven't busted the door down yet, though. They just seem
:40:11. > :40:32.sharper than the hosts. Macedonia, looking for arrest third
:40:32. > :40:36.win on the bounce -- looking for a array third win on the bench. They
:40:36. > :40:41.beat Bulgaria and then had a 2-1 win over the Welsh.
:40:41. > :40:48.The Tartan Army could have a new favourite here in Ikechi Anya. He
:40:49. > :40:52.looks as if he is growing in confidence by the minute, doesn't
:40:52. > :41:05.he? A little trick on that occasion. Comfortable at this level.
:41:05. > :41:23.Nikolce Noveski over to Stefan Ristovski.
:41:23. > :41:32.I am not sure if the referee overruled his linesman on the other
:41:32. > :41:34.half of the field, he initially gave this throw to Macedonia. Fredy
:41:34. > :42:19.Fautrel has given it the other way. Just over ten minutes to half-time.
:42:19. > :42:21.Scotland, trying to get their noses in front before the interval. They
:42:21. > :42:30.deserve to be ahead. That Scott Brown opportunity, the
:42:30. > :42:51.pick of the bunch so far. Whittaker, now at Norwich city.
:42:51. > :42:55.There is a couple of times Steven Whittaker in the last minute, it
:42:55. > :43:03.looks as though he is just about to sell a team-mate short with a pass.
:43:03. > :43:10.Anya busting a gut to get into the middle there, he has come out, but
:43:10. > :43:13.so is the goalkeeper. Leaving an opening, he fancied himself there.
:43:13. > :43:58.And it breaks up to Ivan Trickovski. A difficult ball for Naismith to
:43:58. > :44:22.control there. That is good again, Brown, no space
:44:22. > :44:31.for Pandev to play in, ten yards apart, in four cuts it out. They are
:44:31. > :44:36.keeping Pandev quiet as a mouse now, can to give him a yard. -- cannot
:44:36. > :44:46.give him. There are three waiting in the
:44:47. > :44:55.middle in Macedonian shirts. Maloney applying the pressure,
:44:55. > :45:00.Ristovski has managed to get it in but it is Marshall's all the way. It
:45:00. > :45:03.is warm and humid here tonight, but nothing converted to the conditions
:45:03. > :45:08.the Scots faced last time they came here. Gordon Strachan brought the
:45:08. > :45:11.squad out on Sunday, last time they came out the day before and were
:45:11. > :45:15.playing the match at 5pm in the afternoon. It was at the same time
:45:15. > :45:23.of year and at 5pm this afternoon temperatures over 30 Celsius. I was
:45:23. > :45:27.here, and I tell you what, I was just tired commentating on it, it
:45:27. > :45:30.was that warm. We didn't play well on the day, as
:45:30. > :45:36.well, we didn't deserve anything from the game.
:45:36. > :45:40.Lost that 11-0, then Macedonia popping up in a qualification group
:45:41. > :45:49.couple of campaigns later. -- we lost that 1-0.
:45:49. > :45:52.I don't know if he was brought down by Trajkovski there, the referee
:45:52. > :46:19.wasn't impressed with Hutton going down.
:46:19. > :46:29.Russell Martin asked a lot of Maloney there. Trying to feed it out
:46:30. > :46:38.to Alan Hutton. That is unfortunate. Aleksandar Trajkovski on it.
:46:38. > :46:49.Trajkovski played it in. Sikov steps into it, Macedonia trying to finish
:46:50. > :46:55.the first half strongly. Six minutes to go.
:46:55. > :47:05.Naismith. It is very out there Michael for Naismith, he is getting
:47:05. > :47:19.support melodies. -- it is very lonely out there for Naismith.
:47:19. > :47:26.Mulgrew will be in Italy next week on champions league duty with Celtic
:47:26. > :47:59.in their opening match against AC Milan a week tomorrow.
:47:59. > :48:02.If it does look as though they are going to make a change in a moment
:48:02. > :48:28.or two, before the interval. Mulgrew losing output at the referee
:48:28. > :48:35.has given the free kick to Scotland. The change is being made and it is
:48:35. > :48:43.Babunksi, the Barcelona reserve player who is going to be coming
:48:43. > :48:46.off, replaced by Tasevski. We have seen how they were shaping up, I
:48:46. > :48:54.don't think it was working for them, the way they were shaping up.
:48:54. > :48:58.Babunksi, I don't know if he has picked up an injury, but he was all
:48:59. > :49:02.over the place trying to match up the Scotland movement and suddenly
:49:02. > :49:07.he is hooked. Whether it is an injury or not, I don't know, but I
:49:07. > :49:17.don't think Macedonia's shape was working, that is visual. That is a
:49:17. > :49:29.direct replacement, Babunksi for Kevin skee. It is his 44th cap, he
:49:29. > :50:04.did play against Wales -- for Kevin Tasevski.
:50:05. > :50:20.A good save, Naismith was waiting in the middle but Ikechi Anya could not
:50:20. > :50:28.resist. It was there to be hit and with the confidence he has played
:50:28. > :50:32.with so far, it was worth a go. He was quite right to just wrap his
:50:32. > :50:53.foot around that. Pretty straightforward for the goalkeeper.
:50:53. > :51:01.Just wondering whether Scott Brown was a better option. Here is the
:51:01. > :51:10.counter. Macedonia flooding forward. This would be a hammer blow... It
:51:10. > :51:14.was waiting for the cutback, Pandev was waiting on the six yard line to
:51:14. > :51:24.knock it in, but it didn't arrive for him, and for Scotland's sake, it
:51:24. > :51:26.is a good job it didn't. Any cutback, they probably score. It is
:51:26. > :51:34.just a blessing for us that he has cutback, they probably score. It is
:51:34. > :51:36.picked the wrong option, because they had other options. I was going
:51:36. > :51:56.back to Scott Brown, Russell Martin could have got out the way let Scott
:51:56. > :52:07.Brown have a go. Pandev was I rate with the player there. -- I rate.
:52:07. > :52:14.I don't think the player at the back post was too happy either, he may be
:52:14. > :52:15.getting a thumping from two or three. A Scotland free kick,
:52:15. > :52:46.meantime. Macedonia are doing just enough.
:52:46. > :52:51.Illegal from Grant Hanley, says the referee. What have you made of the
:52:52. > :52:56.first half? Excellent so far by Scotland, all that is missing is a
:52:56. > :53:00.goal. They have created a few chances, Anya in particular has been
:53:00. > :53:04.the star of the show. We looked dangerous. I think it suits us, I
:53:04. > :53:08.think Gordon Strachan will be content, lots of possession, picking
:53:08. > :53:12.the right passes and a lot of movement and pace. So far, we just
:53:13. > :53:16.have to watch. We saw that a minute before half-time, we were up for a
:53:16. > :53:18.set piece and committed people forward and we really could and
:53:18. > :53:40.should have been punished. That is it for the first half.
:53:40. > :53:45.Really good, encouraging performance from the Scots, you have to say.
:53:45. > :53:49.They look like they have a hero in Ikechi Anya, who has brought out a
:53:49. > :53:54.save from the goalkeeper. Scott Brown with a massive chance,
:53:54. > :54:00.one-on-one with the Macedonian goalkeeper, who pulled up the save.
:54:00. > :54:04.Anya has caused all sorts of problems of the left-hand side, he
:54:04. > :54:10.looks like he has a good future with the Scotland international team. But
:54:10. > :54:13.at half-time, it is 0-0. And the only disappointment is the
:54:13. > :54:22.scoreline so far, that has been really impressive for Scotland in
:54:22. > :54:28.Skopje. Two matches in Group A this evening affecting bottom spot.
:54:28. > :54:34.Serbia are ahead in Cardiff by one goal to nil. Serbia going ahead
:54:34. > :54:37.after nine minutes. If those calls were to be final scores, Scotland
:54:37. > :54:42.and Wales would be level on points at the bottom of Group A, but goals
:54:43. > :54:46.so far in Skopje. Let's get the thoughts of Pat Nevin and Craig
:54:47. > :54:53.Gordon. I am pleasantly surprised a bad performance, Pat. You? I am
:54:53. > :54:56.going past pleasantly surprised. That is the best 45 minutes on the
:54:56. > :55:02.Gordon Strachan, brilliant play, creating chances. A lot of the best
:55:02. > :55:05.play. You could hear the booing at the end of the half, the home
:55:05. > :55:09.supporters are not happy at all. They have had to make one change
:55:09. > :55:12.before half-time, they have created one decent chance towards the end
:55:12. > :55:16.and I think Georgievski, he has gone one decent chance towards the end
:55:16. > :55:21.down for a cup of tea and some therapy, because he has got hammered
:55:21. > :55:25.in the half. Get the ball out to Anya every second you can. They have
:55:25. > :55:29.looked a poor team, Macedonia, but we have to remember how well they
:55:30. > :55:34.played at Hampden a year ago and they beat Wales on Friday night.
:55:34. > :55:37.Scotland have managed to make them look ordinary. Yes, that is down to
:55:37. > :55:42.the way Scotland have played, the shape we have got and the switches
:55:42. > :55:46.play, especially to Anya on the left-hand side, have caused them all
:55:46. > :55:51.sorts of problems. He seems to have the pace on the right back, he has
:55:51. > :55:59.come outside, got the ball, had a run at him, and got that fallback on
:55:59. > :56:01.toast. -- full back. His final ball hasn't been ideal, a couple
:56:01. > :56:06.occasions it could have been better but the more he gets on the ball, he
:56:06. > :56:11.will create something. That is the name, Ikechi Anya, that was not on
:56:11. > :56:15.the radar for the Tartan Army a few weeks ago. He made an impact on the
:56:15. > :56:21.bench against Belgium and he has been a major threat to night. First
:56:21. > :56:24.of all, I am delighted for him, he's incredibly positive. I'm a bit
:56:24. > :56:28.jealous, imagine getting the ball but much as a winger. That is the
:56:28. > :56:33.first ten seconds of the game, the first thing he does is positive. But
:56:33. > :56:37.it is not all about going forward, great pace and willingness to get
:56:37. > :56:41.back and cover. But this is willingness to go beyond. It is one
:56:41. > :56:46.of the things we have said, we have not had a real pace for a long time.
:56:46. > :56:49.It is hard to think back when we have had real pace, and we can
:56:49. > :56:54.think, we are in trouble, go and switch it wide and switch it long.
:56:54. > :57:00.As Craig said, the final ball has not been great, but look at this,
:57:00. > :57:05.time and again. Georgievski will be asking to go off. Once or twice, the
:57:05. > :57:09.problem has been that he is so quick, nobody in the middle is able
:57:09. > :57:13.to keep up with him. It gives us such a different guy mentioned going
:57:13. > :57:17.in behind like that, having the pace. This one, everyone is trying
:57:17. > :57:21.to catch up. He has to hold it up and again, the final ball wasn't
:57:22. > :57:31.perfect. But for a team to be able to have that option to played into
:57:31. > :57:33.that area and know he's going to get on the end of it and create
:57:33. > :57:37.something. That was a great ball. This one is a really good as well,
:57:37. > :57:41.one of his best moments of the game. I think the last thing they expected
:57:41. > :57:44.was a shot from this point. He really has mixed it up. It is
:57:44. > :57:48.certainly worth seeing again, because the way he takes it, it is a
:57:48. > :57:54.bobbly pitch, but he takes it first time. Just doesn't get enough bend
:57:54. > :57:59.on it. He has hardly done anything wrong, apart from that final ball
:57:59. > :58:03.into the middle. But he has not always got a lot to aim at. But I
:58:03. > :58:06.would love to see him keep it up, I thought he would run out of energy
:58:06. > :58:13.by now but if you are playing that well, getting that much of the ball,
:58:13. > :58:16.the full back is losing the energy. Lots of people wondered about Steven
:58:16. > :58:17.Naismith in the main striking position, how would that go.
:58:17. > :58:22.Naismith in the main striking position, how would It couldn't have
:58:22. > :58:26.gone much better. I knew he would do well in that respect. He is always
:58:26. > :58:30.fighting for the ball, he is a pest for defenders, a horrible striker to
:58:30. > :58:34.play against. That was a nasty tackle, he was lucky not to get
:58:34. > :58:42.injured. He is a very hard-working player. User right at the start, he
:58:42. > :58:49.will get us a lot of fouls. Like a modern-day cord injury, taking the
:58:49. > :58:57.hit, getting lots of free kicks -- like a modern-day Gordon Durie. And
:58:57. > :59:02.it gets a sub in the opposition half, which is good away from home.
:59:02. > :59:06.Lots of intelligence about his performance. I'm not surprised that
:59:06. > :59:11.bad, I remember previous to his injuries, the Rangers, watching him
:59:11. > :59:15.playing through the central area, and he has got pace as well. I think
:59:15. > :59:17.he has got pace as well. I think he's probably relieved, it has not
:59:17. > :59:21.gone that well for him at Everton, through no fault of against it.
:59:21. > :59:22.Sometimes, international football, international football can you get
:59:22. > :59:25.Sometimes, international football, international football can you away
:59:26. > :59:29.from the stresses of your club and you just enjoy it. He feels like he
:59:29. > :59:34.is released and from the first moment on, he has been holding up
:59:34. > :59:38.the ball pretty well. He is not the tallest but he's good in the air and
:59:38. > :59:43.he gets those free kicks. He is not diving, he's just taking their hits.
:59:43. > :59:44.So seeing Anya and Naismith individually, but collectively, they
:59:44. > :59:56.have made some impact. Yes, they seem to have some
:59:56. > :00:00.understanding there. Naismith has been hold-up play, bringing others
:00:00. > :00:03.into play and it allows you to get up and support when you're striker
:00:03. > :00:08.is doing that. He might have got that on target, he couldn't quite
:00:08. > :00:12.get over the top of it. It is good build-up play, getting it into
:00:12. > :00:16.Naismith, back into midfield and getting it wide, getting into the
:00:16. > :00:20.box the crosses. Which is what you want. Just that simple things are
:00:20. > :00:25.getting the ball down and playing it back, allowing the play to go on.
:00:25. > :00:28.You're desperate to get on the ball, but you have to make sure when it
:00:28. > :00:33.goes up to the centre forward, it sticks. They didn't get a great deal
:00:33. > :00:36.out of that, but if it comes up to Naismith, he will hold it. His
:00:36. > :00:40.touches have been good and intelligent and he just lays it.
:00:40. > :00:44.There are plenty of guys who try to turn around and dribble and take
:00:44. > :00:47.three men on, and you don't get much out of that, but he is doing the
:00:47. > :00:52.intelligent thing, adapting his game to that position well. We have been
:00:53. > :00:57.looking around him, we know someone has got to take Kenny Miller's
:00:57. > :01:01.position. 45 minutes, I am not saying it is sorted, but he is
:01:01. > :01:05.putting a claim in. Gordon Strachan knows exactly how he wants his
:01:05. > :01:08.Scotland team to play and part of that involves David Marshall rolling
:01:08. > :01:14.it out, getting it on the deck and passing the ball up the pitch.
:01:14. > :01:20.There have been a few opportunities to get the ball out into the
:01:20. > :01:24.midfield and starting from there. We haven't got the strongest team out
:01:24. > :01:28.there, we do lack a bit of height, but this is the way to go about it.
:01:28. > :01:33.Switching the play, that is how we are going to unlock this defence,
:01:33. > :01:37.especially than that left-hand side. There have been instances down the
:01:37. > :01:40.right but especially down the left we have looked dangerous. That was
:01:40. > :01:45.another good ball in and every time we put a bit of action together, it
:01:45. > :01:50.ends up with Anya, whatever the piece of action is, it ends up on
:01:50. > :01:54.the left-hand side. The first three or four times without the ball back,
:01:54. > :01:58.David Marshall rolled the out. No doubt, the Macedonians have pushed
:01:58. > :02:03.up a wee bit and made us kick it, and we don't want to kick it. But
:02:03. > :02:05.the odd thing is, we have been getting the knock-downs, Naismith
:02:05. > :02:09.has been clever, so the whole plan seems to be coming together pretty
:02:09. > :02:13.well. I am really delighted, really nice to be able to show that pass
:02:13. > :02:16.and move stuff, because that is what we haven't been doing for a long
:02:16. > :02:21.time. But each game that we have done here, we have been able to show
:02:22. > :02:30.good passages of play, even against the Belgians. What we have not
:02:30. > :02:33.mentioned or maybe even noticed is the quality of the page. It is a
:02:33. > :02:35.dodgy playing surface, but that says a lot for the quality of the
:02:35. > :02:38.Scottish football. They look very confident on the ball. They are
:02:38. > :02:41.having it in tight areas, and even if we are having to go back to get
:02:41. > :02:44.the ball, they have circulated well and have been probing down both
:02:44. > :02:49.wings. It has been a complete performance first off, all we are
:02:49. > :02:52.missing is that goal. If we can play like its second half, we give
:02:52. > :03:00.ourselves a great chance. And this could so easily have been the goal
:03:00. > :03:05.from Scott Brown. When, he loves doing this, a chance
:03:05. > :03:13.to break through, timing is fantastic - of what a great ball, by
:03:13. > :03:16.the way, by Naismith - maybe he is considering he is not going to be
:03:16. > :03:20.able to clip it over or it took a slight bobble, but he has it on
:03:21. > :03:23.target, he ran to get there, but knowing Scott Brown he will be
:03:23. > :03:29.gutted. He nearly scored the other night and the ball went a little
:03:29. > :03:33.bit. As we have been saying, Scotland is
:03:33. > :03:38.threatening down both sides. We have seen a fair bit of name Ella Nash
:03:38. > :03:42.back to Anya in our analysis and this is Alan Hutton on the
:03:42. > :03:47.right-hand side. He has not been quite as forward as
:03:47. > :03:52.Anya, but the full-back is tucking in and allowing that space down that
:03:52. > :03:56.side. A free kick in a dangerous area, and here he is up play,
:03:56. > :04:03.getting in behind, and that is a really good ball. That was what we
:04:03. > :04:07.were talking about Belgium the other night, getting across that front
:04:07. > :04:11.post. He didn't manage to get across the front post, but we talked about
:04:11. > :04:13.the Belgians getting to the byline time and time again and we weren't
:04:13. > :04:17.doing that. But we are tonight. Maybe there is
:04:17. > :04:21.something about teams playing away from home. Also maybe it is to do
:04:21. > :04:24.with the fact that we are playing really well and getting back to the
:04:24. > :04:34.fact that Anya has been so positive, I think he has dragged
:04:34. > :04:37.them back. They may have been a timely warning
:04:37. > :04:39.for Scotland just ahead of our time, it could have easily been a sucker
:04:39. > :04:42.punch call, Scotland having. Had dominated.
:04:42. > :04:46.Yes, we were lucky to get back, slashing at flat with his left foot,
:04:46. > :04:50.it has gone wide. If we could have gotten someone to it in midfield
:04:50. > :04:54.just to stop that, because we were assured for numbers on the back and
:04:54. > :04:59.it was always looking dangerous on the counter. There has been another
:04:59. > :05:06.goal in Cardiff, a second goal for Serbia against Wales, 2-0.
:05:06. > :05:13.That match kicked off 15 minutes after the game in Skopje. Wales are
:05:13. > :05:17.two down and let's hope Scotland can press on in the second half and get
:05:17. > :05:21.the goal the play deserves so far, because that will be disappointing,
:05:21. > :05:25.not to be on the scoresheet at half-time. Again, you don't want to
:05:25. > :05:29.speak too soon, but if you keep that up you will get chances. And you
:05:29. > :05:33.expect you will get a goal from that.
:05:33. > :05:38.But also, they will not be that bad again. They have already made one
:05:38. > :06:46.change, they may made -- make another,
:06:46. > :06:49.I am looking through the whole team and asking who is not having a good
:06:49. > :06:53.night. I am looking through the whole team
:06:53. > :06:57.and asking who is not Everyone is having a good night. As usual,
:06:57. > :07:00.Martin, when he doesn't kick a good night. As usual, Martin, when he
:07:00. > :07:08.doesn't kick a ball, team, everyone is doing well. It almost goes
:07:08. > :07:11.without saying that they would look comfortable in the central area.
:07:11. > :07:17.Maybe we could as a wee bit more from Barry Bannon, but all of the
:07:17. > :07:20.play has come down the left. Sometimes, you have to accept, it is
:07:20. > :07:29.not a right-hand game tonight, we just need to cover the area and the
:07:29. > :07:33.only other factor is we need that goal. And if we could get it at the
:07:33. > :07:40.start of the second half, that would be brilliant, it would drag them out
:07:40. > :07:44.even further. Pandev is having a quiet game, that is another area
:07:44. > :07:49.Scotland have succeeded, the main man for the Macedonians has been
:07:49. > :07:57.quiet. That is the area, in front of the back four, Brown and Mulgrew are
:07:57. > :08:00.denying him space and that will be important in the second half, when
:08:00. > :08:03.the game might be stretched, that we control that area. It might only
:08:03. > :08:08.take him a second to change the course of this match, so we have to
:08:08. > :08:12.keep on top. It has been a great first top Scotland and all that has
:08:12. > :08:17.been missing in Macedonia is a goal. This was the best chance of
:08:17. > :08:20.the first 45 minutes. Skipper Scott Brown bursting from the midfield, on
:08:20. > :08:27.the end of Steven Naismith's excellent pass. A great chance to
:08:27. > :08:33.score and saved by the goalkeeper. Gold in Skopje, halfway through. A
:08:33. > :08:38.change of goalkeeper, Matt Gilks for David Marshall. The Tartan Army will
:08:38. > :08:41.be coming to terms with that change shortly but they will hope that the
:08:41. > :08:45.same again in terms of a Scottish performance. A goal or two would be
:08:45. > :08:50.nice. Back to Billy Dodds and Liam McLeod.
:08:50. > :09:08.it is the first time that Matt Gilks has been involved in a competitive
:09:08. > :09:13.match in Scotland. He is given the second half because of a hip injury
:09:13. > :09:19.sustained by David Marshall. Macedonia made a change towards the
:09:19. > :09:27.end of the first half as well, Tasevski coming on. It will be them
:09:27. > :09:37.that gets is underway. Can Scotland force the issue again, as they did
:09:37. > :09:45.throughout the opening 45 minutes? The French referee getting is
:09:45. > :09:49.underway. They have started the match without the goalkeeper! I have
:09:49. > :09:53.to say, I have never seen that before. You are a lot more
:09:53. > :09:58.experienced at this game than I am, Billy Dodds, have you two apart from
:09:58. > :10:03.in Estonia, where nobody turned up. I have seen a lot in the game but
:10:03. > :10:06.never seen that. That is astonishing. That is a pity, we
:10:07. > :10:11.could have had a quick goal in the second half. He checked everyone
:10:11. > :10:16.else, the referee, Fredy Fautrel. He is seeing the funny side of it, so
:10:16. > :10:33.fair play to him, I hope the UEFA delegate wasn't back for his
:10:33. > :10:34.half-time pie. This is player-3-macro for
:10:34. > :11:01.Macedonia. Scotland need to win back-to-back
:11:01. > :11:06.competitive away matches. The last time they did that was in 2007 when
:11:06. > :11:15.they beat the Faroe Islands in June, then France in Paris. Remember that?
:11:15. > :11:25.Exactly six years ago since McFadden did all that. Brown, Maloney and
:11:25. > :11:27.Hutton are all playing today, and were in that squad. Allan Macgregor
:11:27. > :11:42.is injured tonight. Couldn't quite prevent it going at
:11:42. > :11:46.for the goalkick. It is a no-brainer, just give the ball to
:11:46. > :11:53.him. After his performance in the first half, he was exceptional.
:11:53. > :11:59.What a pass from Barry Bannan, that was 5060 yards from right to left.
:11:59. > :12:06.You have to do that, he could do it right away with that diagonal.
:12:06. > :12:09.Matt Gilks has three clean sheets for his team in the league so far,
:12:09. > :12:37.unbeaten so far. Scotland supporters are just to the
:12:37. > :12:42.right of the goal as you watch the match on your screens. The Scotland
:12:42. > :12:51.fans are skipped -- stood behind Macedonian goal. 1000 of them. The
:12:51. > :12:54.long ball is not an option for Scotland tonight.
:12:54. > :13:03.Perhaps that is a good thing, Billy, in that they have to keep it on the
:13:03. > :13:09.deck to hit the players in the final third. They have a nice little
:13:09. > :13:14.triangle there of Anya, Maloney and Naismith.
:13:14. > :13:18.I think they have handled the pitch really well, because it is bubbling
:13:18. > :13:23.sometimes. We are forced to get it down, make no mistake, this --
:13:23. > :13:26.something of this sort of pitch can put you off your passing game, but
:13:26. > :13:32.it certainly hasn't put the Scottish lads off tonight.
:13:32. > :13:37.No matter how bad the pic is here tonight, it was nowhere near as poor
:13:37. > :13:54.as the one when we lost to Serbia. -- no matter how bad the pitch is.
:13:54. > :14:01.They will not want to give Goran Pandev any encouragement. It is the
:14:01. > :14:07.first time we have seen him knock a ball in behind the Scottish
:14:07. > :14:13.rearguard. It almost came to fruition with Trajkovski. As, he's
:14:13. > :14:17.not in the back, Trajkovski on that side, there was a moment if he had
:14:17. > :14:20.cleared him there would have been all sorts of trouble, but a good
:14:20. > :14:21.header away. Good positioning from the big centre
:14:21. > :14:42.half from Scotland. Anya goes around Giorgevski.
:14:42. > :14:46.Greenhough. I am sure his manager enjoyed the square ball across his
:14:46. > :14:48.own -- I am not sure his manager enjoyed the square ball across his
:14:48. > :15:39.own 18 yard there. The home fans did not like that.
:15:39. > :15:43.There is one thing the offensive players have done really well
:15:44. > :15:49.tonight, as well. We sought Anya early in the game, Maloney getting
:15:49. > :15:52.back a few months ago, and we also see Naismith and Bannan. They have
:15:52. > :15:54.not just been attacking and doing well, they have been getting back
:15:54. > :16:23.down the park, doing the shift. Gilks got game time against
:16:23. > :16:29.Australia in Luxembourg in friendly matches last year. That was under
:16:29. > :17:12.Craig Levein at Easter Road against the Aussies.
:17:12. > :17:24.Already it is a lot better from the Macedonians in this second half.
:17:24. > :17:37.Yes, we held our line pretty well, in three and that post area getting
:17:37. > :17:40.cleared of the danger. The defence is looking good, but for a couple of
:17:40. > :17:45.the goals that were lost against England at Wembley last month.
:17:45. > :17:49.A couple of headers from Danny Welbeck and Lambert.
:17:50. > :18:15.Trajkovski was not on his toes there. Luckily for us, it was a good
:18:15. > :18:26.ball through. Gilks is taking his time over this.
:18:26. > :19:07.He is being hurried along by the natives.
:19:07. > :19:11.We haven't seen that much Shaun Maloney in the game tonight. He is
:19:11. > :19:18.We haven't seen that much Shaun getting a bit more involved.
:19:18. > :19:24.I don't think Scott Brown really wanted the ball back from Naismith
:19:24. > :19:30.then. It was a case of turn around and start again, on that occasion
:19:30. > :19:34.Naismith forced it. He looks unhappy there, Gordon Strachan. It is his
:19:34. > :19:49.seventh game as Scotland manager, two wins and four defeats.
:19:49. > :19:55.Another change coming up for Macedonia. Janevski rolling the dice
:19:55. > :20:25.game, but not yet. -- again. There is the change, it is Ivanovski
:20:25. > :20:35.who is going to come on for Macedonia. He is a striker. I'm not
:20:35. > :21:03.sure who will come off for him. That is up and coming.
:21:03. > :21:09.The ball looked like it was going out for a throw in, but it took a
:21:09. > :21:17.vicious bobble and went out for a goal kick. The man coming off is
:21:17. > :21:23.Trajkovski, one of the wide players. Replaced by Ivanovski, who
:21:23. > :21:27.places football in Romania. He has scored once for the national team
:21:27. > :21:35.before. Just 23, he is considered very, very promising.
:21:35. > :21:44.Macedonia are saying that if he could have more luck than those who
:21:44. > :21:52.have gone before -- are seeing if. Looks as if it is a straight swap,
:21:52. > :21:55.Trajkovski. Even skee has gone out to this right-hand side. --
:21:55. > :22:20.Ivanovski. That is disappointing. Really good
:22:20. > :22:24.from Naismith. Once he feeds it said, you just think, just get at
:22:24. > :22:30.him. You can see he is looking for that far post again. He just
:22:30. > :22:36.executes it all wrong, leaning back. He brought a good save out of the
:22:36. > :22:40.goalkeeper in the first half, Anya. A bit further away that time.
:22:40. > :23:26.I think Pandev took a touch too many. For me, he should have
:23:26. > :23:52.released Yarra -- Jara . He didn't catch that one Swede,
:23:52. > :23:56.that visual. Not the quite same tempo from Scotland, is that then to
:23:56. > :24:00.Macedonia? I think the manager will have had a pop at them at half-time,
:24:00. > :24:06.they have come out and had much more of the ball.
:24:06. > :24:14.Ikechi Anya puts Scotland in front! On his first start for his country.
:24:14. > :24:18.The Tartan Army didn't even know who he was a couple of weeks ago and
:24:18. > :24:25.they know all about him now, they have a new hero, Ikechi Anya!
:24:25. > :24:30.Macedonia zero, Scotland one. It comes from the worst period of the
:24:30. > :24:35.game but it is a special goal. It is fed out to him and you are thinking,
:24:35. > :24:41.he had that shot a few minutes ago, but it was a sweet strike. And boy,
:24:41. > :24:47.does it fall into that far corner. He has been the top man so far. We
:24:47. > :24:49.have deserve it, you have to say. Although we haven't started the
:24:49. > :24:56.second half as well, he has been a special player tonight. Look at
:24:56. > :25:03.that, only thinking one thing. There is it. Brilliant, brilliant finish.
:25:03. > :25:06.Ikechi Anya announces his arrival properly on the international stage,
:25:06. > :25:13.having had a cameo against Belgium on Friday night. Even from the start
:25:13. > :25:22.today, really good first-half performance. Solidifying his inner
:25:22. > :25:25.reputation -- his international reputation, which is strengthening
:25:25. > :25:31.all the time. Scotland lead in Skopje. The goal coming bang on the
:25:31. > :25:42.hour mark in the Macedonian capital. The hosts will try and react but it
:25:42. > :25:49.is the Scotland fans in good voice now, and little wonder.
:25:49. > :25:57.Typical Scott Brown, tigerish in midfield, doesn't give it up.
:25:57. > :25:58.Eventually, he was outnumbered. Another terrific run from the Celtic
:25:58. > :26:10.player. It was important, Billy, that
:26:10. > :26:14.Scotland got that goal tonight. Especially after the first half
:26:15. > :26:19.performance, but we were talking about it, on cue, that they were
:26:19. > :26:23.having their best spell in the game. It is a ball flicked over the top,
:26:23. > :26:27.off the shoulder of the defender, he has given him a hard time all
:26:27. > :26:32.night, Georgievski. It was a hard chance, at the angle, he had to time
:26:32. > :26:36.it right and strike its weekly and he did all of that. -- strike it
:26:36. > :26:39.sweetly. Pandev ominous again, but the sting
:26:39. > :26:57.was taken out of the cross. He is the one class act in the
:26:57. > :27:00.Macedonia side, Pandev. He has been in the squad now for ten or 11
:27:00. > :27:11.years. Out of the entire Macedonia squad,
:27:11. > :27:19.he is the one that plays at the very, very highest level.
:27:20. > :27:25.This is better from them, though, and it is Ristovski, left back, who
:27:25. > :27:40.has won the corner. That Anya goal was just Scotland's
:27:40. > :27:46.fifth of this qualification campaign that started over a year ago. It is
:27:46. > :27:54.Ivan Trickovski who takes the corner kick. Flicked away by Hutton, who
:27:54. > :27:58.conceded it in the first place. It just might open them up a little
:27:58. > :28:00.more now, which I think will suit us. They look a counterattack team
:28:00. > :28:47.set up with it, with Pandev. Well, that will do, Scotland just
:28:47. > :28:57.protecting their lead. The team that concedes normally do
:28:57. > :29:08.come straight back at you. Tasevski ball, ice Tasevski's ball,
:29:08. > :29:43.good switch. Howls of derision, from the
:29:43. > :30:07.Macedonian faithful. That was a positive ball forward by
:30:07. > :30:14.Trickovski originally, knocking it into the D. Well, they are happy,
:30:14. > :30:18.Billy Dodds. No wonder. They have given them something, not just with
:30:18. > :30:22.the goal, but the performance tonight, we just needed a goal,
:30:22. > :30:26.talking about it at half-time, then suddenly we produced the goal, as
:30:26. > :30:32.well, so we have plenty to sing about tonight.
:30:32. > :30:35.That is what I meant when I was talking about it was so important
:30:35. > :30:39.Scotland got a goal on the back of such a good performance in the first
:30:39. > :30:41.half. They had chances to score in the opening period, Scott Brown and
:30:41. > :30:53.one on one being the pick of them. The Naismith header, Anya, who later
:30:53. > :31:00.got a goal, drawing a save from the keeper.
:31:00. > :31:06.Good interchange, Naismith continued his run, but Sikov managed to break
:31:06. > :31:10.up the attack. Charlie Mulgrew is in trouble here, it is yellow for
:31:10. > :31:16.Charlie Mulgrew. That is the first card of the evening. A little bit
:31:16. > :31:23.overzealous. Yes, I don't think Mulgrew can have
:31:23. > :31:26.any complaints. There have not been too many bad fouls in the match, but
:31:26. > :31:34.you would expect to pick up a bidding -- bricking all day long for
:31:34. > :31:42.that. -- you would expect to pick up a booking. Please in Belgium,
:31:42. > :31:45.Trickovski, he scored against Wales last week.
:31:45. > :31:51.He was also in the Champions League team that did so well a couple of
:31:51. > :32:04.weeks ago, scoring for Jack Kardon -esque a couple of weeks ago. --
:32:04. > :32:06.pitch. With Pandev he looks like the one who can create. -- Shaktar
:32:06. > :32:58.Donetsk. This looks like a Scotland team that
:32:58. > :33:02.can hit on the counter if it breaks down for Macedonia in the final
:33:02. > :33:05.third. Their mackerel is peace, skill, we have shown that already
:33:05. > :33:44.tonight. -- there is pace, skill. That is well dealt with. Yes,
:33:44. > :33:50.Mulgrew again, he follows Pandev wherever he goes on the pitch. The
:33:50. > :33:52.-- he has been excellent, in and Brown.
:33:52. > :33:58.Yes, they were good against Belgium, as well.
:33:58. > :34:05.It is a system that Gordon Strachan has brought in, with two sitting
:34:05. > :34:16.midfielders in Brown and Mulgrew, the spoilers.
:34:16. > :34:23.It may be touched his hand their mackerel and bounced up. -- it may
:34:23. > :34:45.be touched his hand their mackerel. Just having the wide men is
:34:45. > :34:52.stretching matters only, creating holes. -- stretching and Macedonia.
:34:52. > :35:00.Into the final quarter here in Skopje.
:35:01. > :35:09.Tasevski has managed to thread it through, he just makes the save and
:35:09. > :35:14.granted on the second attempt. Trickovski even sneaks in, Scotland
:35:14. > :35:19.cut open really for the first time in the game. It is a good ball,
:35:19. > :35:25.Trickovski takes a wonderful touch, that enables him to get a shot away
:35:25. > :35:31.and Gilks does ever so well, because Pandev has a tap in if it bounces
:35:31. > :35:39.any further away from him. Wales losing 2-0 as we heard in
:35:39. > :35:41.Cardiff, that would put Scotland above them and off the foot of the
:35:41. > :35:56.table in group A. Add maybe another card, indeed it
:35:56. > :36:02.is, for Stjepanovic. Yes, very unlike Mulgrew. The same
:36:02. > :36:10.sort of tackle, through the back, no doubt it is a yellow.
:36:10. > :36:20.We are into the final quarter of the game, Billy, how does God and
:36:20. > :36:23.Strachan play it? -- how does Gordon Strachan two I think they have been
:36:23. > :36:30.excellent tonight, he looks content, rightly so.
:36:30. > :36:38.We talk about the back for holding the line to nullify Pandev's space,
:36:38. > :36:43.they will allow a player 20 or 25 yards space to play in, nullify it
:36:44. > :36:50.and make it ten yards. Steven Whittaker has been booked for what
:36:50. > :36:55.the referee sees as time wasting. The midfield have been excellent as
:36:55. > :37:00.well, and we know the middle front for her been excellent, as well.
:37:00. > :37:17.Awkward bounce from Maloney, he was down, no free kick, Scotland wanted
:37:17. > :37:23.one. Scotland are keeping this alive.
:37:23. > :37:27.A good challenge by Giorgevski, who is in trouble.
:37:27. > :37:34.Here they come on the counter with Pandev.
:37:34. > :37:39.Ivanovski! A good save by Gilks, brilliant goalkeeping. He had to be
:37:40. > :37:45.strong. What a hit from Ivanovski. Pandev
:37:45. > :37:48.does shift it that time. We still have five back there but that pass
:37:48. > :37:58.allows that strike. It was travelling, a good reaction saved by
:37:58. > :38:03.Gilks. At the expense of the Macedonian corner kick. We move into
:38:03. > :38:10.the final 17 minutes. Everyone in White was back to defend that.
:38:10. > :38:17.That is a poor ball from Trickovski. He got that all wrong. He has been
:38:17. > :38:21.the main danger in the second half, Ivan Trickovski, as his coach
:38:21. > :38:26.watches. Yes, then that left-hand side, he made a good run a few
:38:26. > :38:27.minutes ago, took a good touch, allowed a shot, Gilks gathered on
:38:27. > :38:49.the second attempt. The referee had a look at that as
:38:49. > :38:55.the shot comes in and Gilks has to make the save again. I think Pandev
:38:55. > :39:03.thought he should have had a penalty kick there. Once we lose the ball,
:39:03. > :39:08.Brown tries to recover, bundles into the back of him, just on the line,
:39:08. > :39:15.get away with it, and the curling shot comes in, Gilks should be
:39:15. > :39:21.saving it, but still a decent save. He is a big striker, Jahovic, trying
:39:21. > :39:28.to bend it in the far corner. Like Anya in the first half, a little too
:39:28. > :39:33.central. The tide is just beginning to turn a little bit. Since the goal
:39:33. > :39:35.Macedonia have moved it by gear. James McArthur is getting ready to
:39:35. > :39:49.come on, the Wigan midfielder. Barry Bannan, now of Crystal Palace,
:39:49. > :39:53.he moved there on deadline day. That is for Anya, he is offside. He is
:39:53. > :39:59.going to get booked for that, lifting it over the bar. We do see
:39:59. > :40:07.it, and again it is something that the referees are told to penalise. I
:40:07. > :40:10.think he was right to do it, make sure you finish off the move,
:40:10. > :40:15.because sometimes you get a whistle from the crowd. He is not offside
:40:15. > :40:21.comedy is at least one yard on there, poor decision. He is onside,
:40:21. > :40:29.but the card for that kind of thing is unbelievable, really.
:40:29. > :40:36.Split second, isn't it? To decide whether you have heard the whistle
:40:36. > :40:38.or not. Yes, as Macedonia come forward, Gilks has an eye on that
:40:38. > :40:47.one. Macedonia are not happy, that was a
:40:47. > :40:52.bad challenge in the penalty area. That is a good step by Stjepanovic,
:40:52. > :40:58.he has managed to move it out to Giorgevski, but still Macedonia have
:40:58. > :41:05.a man down. That hits the side netting from Trickovski. That is a
:41:05. > :41:09.good pick out from Giorgevski. It is the first time he has been up the
:41:09. > :41:14.pitch, he has been pinned back by Anya all night. He makes sure he
:41:14. > :41:20.strikes it, he has to make sure he gets it on target. Well, he gets the
:41:20. > :41:26.first bit right. Just it's that sayyid netting. They have a bit of a
:41:26. > :41:33.sweat on now, Scotland, all of a sudden. Cedomir Janevski, he is the
:41:33. > :41:36.manager of the Macedonian national team. James McArthur will replace
:41:36. > :41:55.Barry Bannan in a moment. That was about a foot past. A chance
:41:55. > :42:01.to seal it. Maloney does ever so well. A good pick out again from
:42:01. > :42:06.Anya, once he is released. Bannan calling for it, his last action in
:42:06. > :42:10.the game. Like Anya's strike, you are waiting for it to nestle in that
:42:10. > :42:16.bottom corner but just misses the right-hand post. There is James
:42:16. > :42:21.McAvoy, about to win his first -- 13th cap, Barry Bannan the player
:42:21. > :42:28.coming off. He got his 13th cap tonight, too. It is a slight change
:42:28. > :42:35.to the forward triangle we were talking about earlier on. Maloney
:42:35. > :42:43.will move to the right to that, McArthur coming on. It is a little
:42:43. > :42:49.reshuffle. I think McArthur looks as if he is going to go over there and
:42:49. > :42:52.play a straight replacement for Bannan, try to see out the game
:42:52. > :42:54.because they have looked dangerous in the last few minutes, not a bad
:42:54. > :43:24.substitute from Gordon Strachan. That is a really good ball for
:43:24. > :43:30.Ivanovski. Another opportunity for the hosts. I think it tells you
:43:30. > :43:38.everything when Giorgevski in the last couple of moments has got up
:43:38. > :43:42.the pitch twice. But Ivanovski takes a lovely touch, that looked
:43:42. > :43:48.dangerous, but he gets that one all wrong. A lovely first touch sets it
:43:48. > :43:53.all up. We saw last year that Macedonia have good performances in
:43:53. > :44:00.them. And they have had good results in the past, the not too distant
:44:00. > :44:05.past, either. 2-2 here against Holland in the 2006 World Cup
:44:05. > :44:10.qualifiers, 0-0 in that campaign with the Dutch, too, and in the Euro
:44:10. > :44:15.2008 qualifiers they drew with England at Old Trafford. Here comes
:44:15. > :44:18.another change for Scotland, and it is Lee Wallace of Rangers who will
:44:18. > :44:25.replace Steven Whittaker, formerly of Rangers. Again, I don't know
:44:25. > :44:29.whether it is just because Whittaker on the yellow card, getting forward
:44:29. > :44:37.on both flanks, they are looking dangerous. Giorgevski, Ivanovski
:44:37. > :44:40.looking dangerous, so maybe just protect themselves. Gordon Strachan
:44:40. > :44:47.doesn't want to lose a player this late the game. Goal has made it 3-0
:44:47. > :45:13.to Serbia against Wales. They have looked more likely,
:45:13. > :45:20.Macedonia, in the final quarter of this game.
:45:20. > :45:26.Giorgevski again, just shaping a ball in. You have to be thinking the
:45:26. > :45:28.front post as a striker, as a forward thinking player he is
:45:28. > :45:39.clearly a yard off. Lee Wallace, this is his seventh
:45:39. > :45:42.cap. He was in the Scotland under 19 team that went all the way to the
:45:42. > :45:48.final of the European Championships in 2006. Steven Fletcher was
:45:48. > :46:38.involved in that, as well. What a pick me up this would be.
:46:38. > :46:41.Just as important as the match in Zagreb, because international
:46:41. > :46:45.football, normally when you come away from home in international
:46:45. > :46:49.football, a draw is a decent result, even against some of the
:46:49. > :46:57.teams that some of the fans don't consider to be the top nations.
:46:57. > :47:13.Adis Jahovic is being replaced by Jovan Kostovski.
:47:13. > :47:18.They probably had the best of him when he was so fish and tried to
:47:18. > :47:24.score at the near post when there was two other players. Not his
:47:24. > :47:27.finest night, Jahovic. Jovan Kostovski plays his football
:47:27. > :47:47.in Belgium, like a couple of his team-mates, for Leuven.
:47:48. > :48:13.The centre half trying to push Macedonia on.
:48:13. > :48:26.What a goal, what a ball from Pandev that cut Scotland open. And it is
:48:26. > :48:30.the man who has just come on who has scored. It is a first international
:48:30. > :48:39.goal for Christophe skee, but it was all Goran Pandev. He has been so
:48:39. > :48:42.quiet in the match but you cannot stop him in that situation, just a
:48:42. > :48:57.genius at work. Christophe it is a right to left, and he just
:48:57. > :49:07.rolls it past Matt Gilks, Kostovski. Brilliant from Pandev.
:49:07. > :49:13.What a ball from the Napoli player. Kostovski had the pleasure of
:49:13. > :49:15.finishing it off. Scotland must try and find another goal in the last
:49:15. > :49:36.few minutes here in Macedonia. Wales are losing to Serbia 3-0, but
:49:36. > :49:43.they have the benefit of the head-to-heads. Wales have two games
:49:43. > :49:48.to go after this, Scotland just the one.
:49:48. > :49:54.They will come looking for another one, Macedonia. They will want to
:49:54. > :50:33.win this game in front of their own fans.
:50:33. > :50:43.A bit of a slap, that goal. Yes, they have been pressing but our
:50:43. > :50:47.performance has been good. We scored when we were having our worst period
:50:47. > :50:52.of the game and it didn't look like we could get a breakthrough, and we
:50:52. > :50:56.scored. But we have sat back. They have got the equaliser, but we don't
:50:56. > :51:24.deserve to lose it. But they are threatening.
:51:24. > :51:41.The Macedonia fans think Scotland are time wasting for a draw here.
:51:41. > :51:48.They haven't managed to get the ball to Anya as much in the first half.
:51:48. > :51:54.Of course, he got his goal in the second half, but he hasn't been as
:51:54. > :51:57.involved. I don't think any of the front four have been. But that is
:51:57. > :52:00.down to them, you have got to complement them as well. Had the
:52:00. > :52:14.chance to kill it off with Maloney. A superb run by James McArthur. He
:52:14. > :52:17.has got a free kick, he was chopped to the ground. It is a pity he
:52:18. > :52:28.couldn't keep his balance. He was trying to stay up, because he has
:52:28. > :52:32.got Naismith that the -- he can poke it too. But he can't keep himself
:52:32. > :52:38.up. The challenge has gone but it was a great chance. Grant Hanley was
:52:38. > :52:40.up there as well. What an opportunity if he could have stayed
:52:40. > :52:47.on his feet. Shaun Maloney has a wonderful
:52:47. > :52:58.opportunity here. Charlie Mulgrew is there as well.
:52:58. > :53:07.It is Shaun Maloney, and it is in! Wonderful from Shaun Maloney! An
:53:07. > :53:13.expert free kick from the free kick master! And Scotland are back in
:53:13. > :53:17.front and looking good, surely, in the final two minutes, for the three
:53:17. > :53:22.points. It looked as though it had slipped away from them. They
:53:22. > :53:26.deserved it after the run from MacArthur. He looked as though he
:53:26. > :53:31.was a certainty to score. Shaun Maloney has so much to do, he just
:53:31. > :53:35.puts his laces through it. He strikes through the valve, it is
:53:35. > :53:40.dipping and swerving but you have to get it in the right area. He puts it
:53:40. > :53:44.into that top corner, he does it for Wigan, and tonight he has done it in
:53:44. > :53:48.Scotland. It looks like it is the winner. We have scored two
:53:48. > :53:52.magnificent goals here tonight. There it was, the technique from
:53:52. > :53:57.Maloney, as beautiful as always, when he finds the net. The man who
:53:57. > :54:01.teed up Ben Watson's FA Cup winner for Wigan back in May has put
:54:01. > :54:10.Scotland back in the driving seat. But there is still more to do. That
:54:10. > :54:13.was Pandev. Pandev certainly involved in that, but the man who
:54:13. > :54:19.scored the goal for them, Kostovski got the final touch.
:54:19. > :54:28.Matt Gilks in no man's land. If he gets it on target, he scores his
:54:28. > :54:32.second. Russell Martin did enough, he was the meat in the sandwich. So
:54:32. > :54:46.three minutes of stoppage time being added on at the end here.
:54:46. > :54:55.It was a cynical foul but led to the free kick, which Maloney duly
:54:55. > :55:03.dispatched. It is Maloney's second international goal. He has scored a
:55:03. > :55:05.few already for Wigan this season, including recently against
:55:05. > :55:15.Nottingham Forest, just before the international break.
:55:15. > :55:24.He has had to wait a long time. I think I mentioned the Faroe Islands
:55:24. > :55:38.game before Paris in 2007. That was his first international goal.
:55:38. > :55:51.Cast of skee has looked dangerous, got the goal -- Kostovski has looked
:55:51. > :55:55.dangerous. But the goal, you just felt that Shaun Maloney was going to
:55:55. > :55:59.do it. Talking about the goal against the Faroe Islands, well, it
:55:59. > :56:03.is a special one tonight. What a goal, it looks as though it will win
:56:03. > :56:23.this match. Wales are trailing Serbia by 3-0 in
:56:23. > :56:32.Cardiff. Scotland are about to come off the bottom of Group A, perhaps.
:56:32. > :56:37.You just know Macedonia are going to get another opportunity, don't you?
:56:37. > :56:40.Let's hope not. I think overall we have deserved our victory tonight,
:56:40. > :56:46.we have played well. Especially that first half. We got two great goals,
:56:46. > :57:07.a lot of good individual performances.
:57:07. > :57:10.Anya has drawn the free kick, and that will do the Gordon Strachan's
:57:10. > :57:23.side. Just four wins in 16 competitive
:57:23. > :57:25.matches, going into this one. Two of those against the 148th ranked
:57:25. > :57:39.Lichtenstein. Naismith was offside from the free
:57:39. > :58:16.kick. He and Gjorgioski, a bit afters. -- a bit of afters.
:58:16. > :58:23.Not far away from really, truly sealing it. But we have played the
:58:23. > :58:27.three minutes from stoppage -- of stoppage time.
:58:27. > :58:35.It is a good win, a very good win for Gordon Strachan and his men.
:58:35. > :58:43.They opened the scoring after eight horrific first half, into this
:58:43. > :58:50.second period, from Ikechi Anya -- after eight horrific first half.
:58:50. > :58:55.That was cancelled out by Kostovski after a wonderful ball boy Goran
:58:55. > :59:00.Pandev. But Gordon Strachan's men have a victory at the James McArthur
:59:00. > :59:04.was upended, Shaun Maloney with a wonderful free kick, bent into the
:59:04. > :59:08.top corner, the goalkeeper's top right. That means it finishes here
:59:08. > :59:13.with the Scots coming off the bottom of World Cup qualifying Group A.
:59:13. > :59:18.That was great to watch, but only part of the equation that gets
:59:18. > :59:21.Scotland off the bottom of Group A. The other involves Wales not
:59:21. > :59:28.winning. Well, they are currently losing in Cardiff by three goals to
:59:28. > :59:32.nil against Serbia. What a performance that was and what a
:59:32. > :59:37.night for Ikechi Anya. His first Scotland start, Pat Nevin, his first
:59:37. > :59:43.goal. He was brilliant, start to finish. It is a great goal. He has
:59:43. > :59:47.smacked it on the half volley. Constantly trying to get behind the
:59:47. > :59:52.defence, an absolute star. He will get a nine out of ten in the papers
:59:52. > :59:56.tomorrow and he will deserve it. Fantastic for just starting his
:59:56. > :00:02.international career. Scotland deserved to win but for one awful
:00:02. > :00:06.moment on 83 minutes, it looks like we would have to settle for a
:00:06. > :00:10.point. Yes, we can't keep a clean sheet at the moment. It is a great
:00:10. > :00:16.ball, I mean that is the quality that Pandev has. Shaun Maloney has
:00:16. > :00:20.the win this, and he absolutely knows he has blown it there. You
:00:20. > :00:27.need to get your foot in. But what passed, the vision to chip that of a
:00:27. > :00:31.defence -- what a pass. It is a difficult one coming over his
:00:31. > :00:36.shoulder and he manages to product over the line. You could see Shaun
:00:36. > :00:41.Maloney looking in horror with his head in his hands. A few minutes
:00:41. > :00:44.later, his arms were in the air. A sublime free kick. Every single
:00:44. > :00:48.player knows that when you have made that kind of the state, head in
:00:48. > :00:53.hands and he was desperate to get this. We know he is well capable of
:00:53. > :00:57.this, he has done it enough domestically. He has not scored
:00:57. > :01:05.enough goals internationally, but he and the rest of the team were good.
:01:05. > :01:09.He has even taken it back a little bit to that distance so he can get
:01:09. > :01:12.it up and down, and that is exactly what he can do. Only his second
:01:12. > :01:17.international goal and it is surprising that he doesn't have
:01:17. > :01:22.more, when he has that quality. How good was the Scotland performance
:01:22. > :01:26.tonight? I think it is the best under Gordon Strachan yet. He has
:01:26. > :01:29.had to put it together with a lot of players missing, going all the way
:01:29. > :01:33.back to Fletcher, exception. You are beginning to see what it means
:01:33. > :01:37.there, the style of the play that he wants, and the belief that there is
:01:37. > :01:41.in the group of players. There is definite belief that they can play
:01:41. > :01:45.and the belief they had in the young lad, he has just come into that
:01:45. > :01:48.team. Gordon said, give him the ball until he is sick of it and they have
:01:48. > :01:53.done it and it is great that you get that belief in the team. The manager
:01:53. > :01:57.says give the kid the ball, so keep on giving it him. And it worked a
:01:57. > :02:03.treat. That is real progress. Zagreb, Wembley, Friday night, maybe
:02:03. > :02:07.not so good, but playing a top quality team, and then 2-1 in
:02:07. > :02:13.Macedonia. That was all was going to the be the big one, tonight, to get
:02:13. > :02:16.the three points. -- always going to be. The Belgian game would have been
:02:16. > :02:20.a bonus but tonight was the yardstick to tell how well we have
:02:20. > :02:23.come on and it was a great performance. I think right through
:02:23. > :02:26.the team, there were good performances. We kept the ball
:02:26. > :02:30.again, we touched on that before, and created some really good
:02:30. > :02:35.openings, even right at the end with Lee Wallace charging up the line.
:02:35. > :02:39.And we have got attack minded players. That is what we have been
:02:39. > :02:47.crying out for. By the way, Naismith, he was superb upfront.
:02:47. > :02:51.Before this we kept complaining, who is going to score the goals? And
:02:51. > :02:56.what was it, for goals we had scored before now? Not only did we scored
:02:56. > :03:01.two goals, we made plenty of chances, as well. There are two
:03:01. > :03:04.aspects about the commitment of tonight, because yes, we have a
:03:04. > :03:07.chance of getting off the bottom spot, though there are results out
:03:07. > :03:11.of our control that may affect that, but there is also a year's
:03:11. > :03:15.time and the kick-off of another qualification campaign. It begins to
:03:15. > :03:23.look as if we are getting somewhere. I think the next one at home to
:03:23. > :03:28.Croatia is another big step. We have shown that we can now do it away
:03:28. > :03:33.from home, Croatia, now Macedonia, and now can be put game plan in
:03:33. > :03:37.place for the con games? The setup seems to work really well for us
:03:37. > :03:42.away, can we experiment and do what we need to do to find something that
:03:42. > :03:47.works at home, as well? And finding some good players to add to what
:03:47. > :03:50.Gordon Strachan had? He said he was going to have to do that, to look
:03:50. > :03:53.around him and see who can do the job for him. He has brought in
:03:53. > :03:58.players that you are not really that we are off and it has been
:03:58. > :04:03.fantastic. Obviously Anya is the one we will think of tonight, but there
:04:03. > :04:09.have been others, as well. Yes, you have that as well, but we have not
:04:09. > :04:12.even had time to... Gilks came on tonight and did absolutely
:04:12. > :04:15.brilliantly when we call on him, that was always a worry. We are
:04:15. > :04:24.going to a third goalkeeper and he did well, as well. It is only
:04:24. > :04:26.Macedonia, by the way, but now we can see the green shoots of
:04:26. > :04:30.recovery. Let's hope we can keep it going until the end of this campaign
:04:30. > :04:34.and the next. Thank you to Pat Nevin and the next. Thank you to Pat Nevin
:04:34. > :04:38.Craig, Scotland are off the bottom spot of group A, and for a team that
:04:38. > :04:40.have been struggling for results, that was pretty memorable in
:04:40. > :04:42.Macedonia. Good night.