Austrians had remote control car but we had Rolls Royce in young Gilmour
Billy helps us get motoring on road to Qatar
THE wee remote control car that attempted to bring the ball on to the pitch before kick-off might have spluttered across the surface but Scotland are motoring again on the road to Qatar.
Talk about good omens. The small band of travelling Tartan Army fans had a chuckle as the tiny vehicle struggled to make it inside the centre circle and they had even bigger smiles at the end of a huge 90 minutes.
The path to the World Cup could still be torturous but at least Scotland’s campaign didn’t hit a dead end in Vienna.
In a city that hosted classical composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, Steve Clarke got a tune out of his side on the back of a couple of bum notes in the last week.
This is what happens when the Scots are in symphony when it comes to line-up, shape and style.
And while the Austrians had the remote control car, we had a Rolls Royce in Billy Gilmour and a good few reliable runners around him.
The playmaker stood out a mile amid the wild demolition derby while Lyndon Dykes put the foot down with his crucial cool penalty to set us on our way to a monumental result.
Denmark might be in the fast lane all the way to the Middle East but at least there’s still a chance Scotland can go in the same direction after a tough week.
These triple-headers are pretty brutal for everyone involved with three games in just seven days.
Squads across the continent have been left with plenty walking wounded. Some are swollen and others are shattered.
It might be OK for the big nations who have endless lists of guys who can come in.
But it’s a bit of a bummer for the likes of us, who need to rely on our key men when the proper games come along.
Just our luck then that when we unearth another gem, he’s out before he can barely get started.
Nathan Patterson more than looked the part against Moldova, so, of course, he’d be out injured.
Ryan Fraser heading out of the camp with a moon boot on didn’t help either but it’s not just Scotland battling fatigue and fitness issues.
Austria were hit as well. Veteran frontman Marko Arnautovic made it but the dangerman was creaking so much he was doing a decent impression of the tin man.
Mercifully Sasa Kalajdzic, the guy who did the damage in the 2-2 draw in Glasgow a few months ago, was missing.
Captain Julian Baumgartlinger – who should be up against Celtic in the Europa League with Bayer Leverkusen soon – was another absentee, along with Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer. It wasn’t as if this was a happy Austrian camp either. It’s fair to say the 5-2 thumping in Israel last weekend didn’t go down well.
Gaffer Franco Foda copped it from punters and pundits alike. He might not survive this but there was a hint of the wounded animal about the Austrians early on.
They were looking to do what Denmark did last week – get Scotland on the back foot.
The home side were fast and furious in a whirlwind start.
This time Clarke’s men got through the opening 15 minutes and actually could have been ahead during that mad period if Dykes had steered his header a couple of feet closer to a post.
If anything, Scotland looked the more dangerous. The Austrians were piling on pressure but were wide open on the counter.
And once the storm subsided it was the Scots on the charge.
The opening goal might have taken a second look on VAR – and the decision might have riled up the home crowd – but it couldn’t have been more stonewall if Che Adams had been hit by a half brick.
The Austrians felt hard done by but they were actually lucky.
Quite why Martin Hinteregger wasn’t shown a second yellow for the WWF grapple hold was a total mystery.
The Austrians weren’t too chuffed when a penalty shout of their own was ignored before half-time but it was already looking like Scotland had whipped the jam out of their donuts. It was Clarke’s side who had the snap and any time the hosts piled forward they were sent up cul-de-sacs.
Any time they found a route to the box it was road-blocked by Grant Hanley or Jack Hendry.
It was thrilling stuff at times but we knew there would be twists and turns to come.
Arnautovic should have been off after his brutal barge on Gilmour and it was clear they needed to find other means to stop the little magician sending his rivals spinning around the bend.
All the while Scotland still posed a threat on the counter.
Adams nearly put us on easy street after Daniel Bachmann got in a mess and had another great chance later on, while Stephen O’Donnell was denied by the keeper when he was sent free.
By the end, Austria were spluttering and super Scotland are back on track.