THE CALM BEFORE A STORMER
Skipper Andy tells Nathan to cool it and Gers kid goes on to star alongside best pal Billy in vital Scotland win
YELLING “calm down, calm down” will probably not win Andy Robertson many friends in his adopted city of Liverpool.
But back home in Glasgow, an impersonation of Harry Enfield’s Scouse skit proved to be sage advice from the Scotland skipper.
Robertson was once the excited youngster desperate to make an impression.
These days he is the wise old head with a Champions League winner’s medal hanging round his neck.
When he imparts his wisdom, it’s best you listen.
That was the situation Nathan Patterson found himself in on Saturday night as the Rangers teenager made his first competitive start for the national team.
He was joined in the starting line-up by best pal Billy Gilmour. The pair had come through the ranks at Ibrox but while Gilmour, 20, strolled through the 90 minutes with an air of cool that has already become his trademark, it took Patterson time to settle.
Whether it was youthful exuberance or teenage nerves, the 19-year-old got himself caught up in the moment as the 41,000 fans inside the ground created an atmosphere not heard at the National Stadium for a Scotland game in years.
The Covid shackles had been lifted from Hampden and the Tartan Army responded by cranking up the noise.
It also sent Patterson’s heartbeat banging faster and louder than a house alarm going off at 3am.
There was a skewed shot, a couple of needless fouls and the odd wayward pass all inside the first 10 minutes.
Of course, it was to be expected in the circumstances, especially given he’d spent the last week stuck in quarantine.
Then again, perhaps without that excitement and buzz Patterson may not have been alive to the chance to steal the ball from Moldova’s Radu Ginsari and spark the move that brought Lyndon Dykes’ 14th-minute opener.
Only a great save from keeper Cristian Avram denied Patterson the plaudits as he darted on to Kevin Nisbet’s return pass. But when Dykes fired home the rebound, it handed Robertson his chance to offer some counsel.
The skipper said: “Both of the young lads were excellent, to be honest.
“Billy always gets on the ball and he looks to create something. He doesn’t shy away from taking it on.
“Nathan was excellent, especially in the first half. He was the one being aggressive in the press.
“He was the one who made the goal.
“In the first 10 minutes he looked as though he was maybe a wee bit excited and erratic, so luckily we managed to get hold of him at the goal and told him to calm down.
“He did that and started to pick the passes. He was excellent.
“He’s had, what, five days of isolation? I don’t know how much training he’s done during that time.
“But that’s part and parcel of the learning. I remember when I was their age.
“Even now, adrenaline sometimes takes over. But when you are 26 or 27, you have the experience to think, ‘Right, I need to last 90 minutes here…’
“Both of them were great. They were our two best players and long may that continue.” The pair’s introduction certainly brought a freshness and a new energy to Scotland.
Football teams have a knack of taking on the characteristics of their coach and under Steve Clarke, this side often looks overly conservative.
That was the case in Wednesday’s Copenhagen defeat by Denmark but with the young guns in from the off, the Scots fired out the traps.
Gilmour was always looking to quicken the tempo with an early ball up to the strikers, while Patterson balanced the team’s attack in a way right-back rival Stephen O’Donnell simply cannot.
With neither player yet fully developed, it was natural they would run out of steam.
Patterson clung on to see out the 90 minutes but Gilmour made way with just over a quarter of an hour left.
Another goal would have been handy to provide a fresh surge of adrenaline and keep Scotland’s performance motoring along.
They were facing a side ranked 175th in the world and one who had shipped 15 goals in their first four group games.
To finish with a meagre 1-0 win feels like a major missed opportunity to bolster the goals for column.
Kieran Tierney blew a great opportunity when he stuck a free header into the turf rather than Avram’s goal.
Robertson sliced wide after bursting into the box while Gilmour and Ryan Christie failed to take another couple of big openings after the break. At least Scotland got the points, though. They can now travel to Austria looking for a Vienna victory, which could turn this World Cup qualifying section back in their favour. Players such as Robertson, Grant Hanley and Tierney will have to go again for a third time in seven days if Scotland are to keep on track for Qatar. Robertson added: “Three of Saturday’s starting side have had Covid in the last two or three weeks. It was John McGinn’s first game in 10 or 14 days. Nathan as well, Kevin Nisbet was out, I’ve not really had a pre-season… “But for a game like Tuesday we’ll all be fit and ready to go. “We need to be fresh and aggressive. If we do that, we hopefully get the right result.”