Marathon man Steve breaks wall for charity
SCOTLAND ......... 3 CIS ................... 0
and I got the nod to start then it was all about proving to Andy, and to Craig who soon took over, we were worthy of being a big part of the squad going forward.
“It was a brilliant victory against a quality side. People say it was a pressure-less game but it wasn’t for CIS because if they won they would have qualified for the knockout stages.
“But for lady luck and not being able to finish at the right times in previous games, it could have been us progressing.
“That result – like the one against Switzerland – kind of sums up the ‘so near yet so far’ fortunes of the national team.
“In 1992 we pushed Holland all the way but never quite took our chances and lost to a great Dennis Bergkamp goal late on. Then we go up against a world-class German side and held our own – we really did. We created so many chances but again couldn’t take them.
“And we ended up on the end of another defeat.
“Thankfully it seems like we were saving up a bit of luck for the CIS game when I finally got the nod to start and we put in another excellent performance.”
Paul McStay rifled Roxburgh’s side into a seventh-minute lead in Norkopping before Brian McClair ended a 26-match wait for his first international goal with a deflected effort that flew past Dmitri Kharine.
Scotland were in cruise control and Gary McAllister’s late penalty put the gloss on it.
Gallacher said: “If you don’t create chances then you don’t create luck and we had so many opportunities in those three games that we deserved a break.
“If Choccy didn’t create space then shoot then it doesn’t take a deflection and end up in the net. Same with Paul McStay.
“It was as comfortable a victory as you will see and a great way to end the campaign.”
Exactly four years later Brown’s side bowed out with a 1-0 win – courtesy of an Ally McCoist screamer.
That result would have been enough to clinch a first-ever place in the knockout stages had England beaten Holland by four goals in the other match.
Incredibly that scenario was on with Scotland holding on to their slender lead in Birmingham while, at the same time, Terry Venables’ Three Lions were dismantling the Dutch 4-0.
However, Patrick Kluivert ruined the party with a late goal in London to see Holland squeeze through.
“Agony,” Gallacher recalled. “I think we were through for about 15 minutes.
“I ended up on the bench for that match backing the boys up just like the supporters in the stands.
“We knew there was the slightest chance we could go through if we beat Switzerland. But we never for a minute expected England to take four off Holland.
“That was the ultimate so near yet, so far moment for Scotland, I suppose.”
McStay 7, McClair 16, McAllister 84(pen)
Scotland: Goram, McKimmie, Gough, McPherson, Boyd, McAllister, McClair (McInally), McStay, McCall, Gallacher (Nevin), McCoist. CIS: Kharine, Chernyshov, Tskhadadze, O Kuznetsov, Kanchelskis, Aleinikov (D. Kuznetsov), Mikhailichenko, Dobrovolski, Onopko, Yuran, Kiriakov (Korneev).
McCoist 36
Scotland: Goram, Boyd, McKinlay (Booth), Calderwood, Hendry, Burley, Collins, McAllister, McCall, Durie, McCoist (Spencer). CIS: Pascolo, Hottiger, Quentin (Comisetti), Henchoz, Vega, Bonvin, Koller (Fournier), Sforza, Vogel, Chapuisat (Wicky), Turkyilmaz
BY ALASDAIR FRASER
STEVEN MACKAY has already hit the wall once this summer when Brora Rangers’ big-time dream blew up on the home straight after an SPFL vote.
But the Highland League champions’ player-boss is now hoping history doesn’t repeat itself next week.
For a man who doesn’t much like running, Mackay hasn’t half been clocking up the miles lately.
The former Ross County midfielder pounded out more than 1000 of them in the build-up to an 80-mile ultra-marathon challenge on June 26.
He will set off from the doorstep of his home in Inverness and attempt to run virtually non-stop to Brora’s Dudgeon Park for a local children’s charity.
The 38-year-old’s longest run so far has – twice – been 40 miles.
Mackay said: “I have no idea if I can do it but I’ll give it a good shot. I don’t even enjoy running that much, unless it’s on a pitch.
“I started with 25-mile weekly totals, compressing them into fewer runs, and eventually did 30 miles in one go. I’ve done 40 miles twice but it’s really tough and unpleasant. I want to do it in 20 hours ideally.”
You can donate at: www. cashforkidsgive.co.uk/ campaign/mfr-charitychampions-2020/fundraisers/steven-mackay.