Palmer urges Scots to keep winning feeling

LIAM PALMER has insisted Scotland can take positives from their narrow 2- 1 win over a second- string Czech Republic side in Olomouc on Monday night and go into the Euro 2020 play- off semi- final next month with confidence.

The national team fell behind to opponents who fielded just two capped players in their starting line- up and had to weather a late onslaught from their spirited hosts to pick up all three Nations League points.

However, Palmer and his team- mates have now gone unbeaten in five matches – they beat San Marino, Cyprus and San Marino last year and drew with Israel on Friday night -– and the Sheffield Wednesday right- back believes that is important.

The defender, who set up striker Lyndon Dykes for an equaliser in the first- half in the Andruv Stadium, is certain that Scotland will be in a positive frame of mind when they take on Israel again at Hampden on October 8.

“We’ve got a bit of momentum now,” he said. “We’ve got four wins from five and we’re top of our Nations League group after two games and that’s what we set out to do.

“We have to keep that ball rolling. We’ve got it all in front of us with the qualification games for Euro 2021, as it is now. We’re looking forward to that. We ended the night with some positives and that’s what we’re going to focus on ahead of next month.”

Palmer, who played as a wingback in a 3- 5- 2 formation, supplied the pass which Dykes, the Australianborn striker who only made his international debut for Scotland last week, scored from.

“I was delighted with the assist,” he said. “I am just trying to get forward like the manager had said. Having been a goal down we need to react as soon as possible and we managed to do so and claw our way back in.

“It was hard work for Lyndon in the first game. He put in a real shift and nothing really fell for him. I was delighted he got off the mark. I think Kenny [ McLean] said to him before the game ‘ you’re going to score tonight’. So, yeah, I was delighted when it came off his foot and went in the roof of the net.”

The Football Association of the Czech Republic announced the Scotland game had been postponed late on Friday night – only to reverse their decision following discussions with UEFA over the weekend.

Palmer admitted the uncertainty over whether the Group B2 fixture would go ahead and the unusual build- up had been far from ideal.

He said: “Is the game on? Is it not? You are trying to keep focused and prepare for the game. It was a little bit disruptive with the manager having pre- match meetings. Normally we go through four or five different videos.

“But sometimes you have got to react as a group and react on the pitch. It is not always down to what the manager tells you. If you spot something during the game it is up to you as players to react to it, whether it is an extra body at a corner or somebody else coming on. You have always got to be taking accountability on the pitch.

“We won a lot of first balls, second balls, on the edge of the box and put our bodies on the line. It paid dividends in the end.

“We knew, especially going a goal down early doors, we would have to dig in and show that reaction to adversity, what the manager always speaks about. That is one of the things that he likes to focus on and we have shown that in our recent wins.”