SCRIPT IS SO SADLY FAMILIAR

A SCOTSMAN SHARES HIS PAIN..

HOW stupid of us to think it might be different this time.

What on earth made us believe that this was our night or that Leigh Griffiths’ opening goal was all that we required to stamp our tickets into the final round of eliminators for the next World Cup?

Another World Cup which will now pass us by while blowing kisses at so many others.

From Russia with love? These romantic scripts were never meant for the likes of us.

If ever there was a country whose narrative was written by Mills and Doom then surely it is ours. A seemingly never-ending story of near-misses and heartache, the latest chapter of which was penned right here in a Slovenian sleepy hollow last night.

Two second-half goals scored by a half-time after-thought, sub Roman Bezjak. A dream-wrecker of historic proportions.

His first goal was excruciating and made even more so by the fact that it came from a free-kick which should probably never have been given. His second took eye-watering – at least for that dejected fan (above) – to a whole new level.

We had not come here for another death march. This was supposed to be our time. And why shouldn’t it be? First Brexit, then President Trump – not even in this parallel universe can Scotland qualify for a World Cup. That Robert Snodgrass (left) came off Scotland’s bench to level the scores in the dying embers of this match made the pain no more bearable.

And now the backlash will surely follow.

This was a substandard Scotland performance masquerading as glorious failure and the inquest will be savage.

In the end this was a self-inflicted heartache.

And even though that’s the worst possible kind, if boss Gordon Strachan is willing to give it another go then who knows what our futures might hold?

You never know, it might be different the next time.