CHRIS OF LIFE
Unlikely hero Martin rescues Scotland and Strachan
SCOTLAND’S World Cup hopes are still flickering after substitute Chris Martin dramatically struck against Slovenia with just two minutes remaining at Hampden.
Facing elimination from the qualifying campaign at the halfway stage, and the end of his own four-year tenure as manager, Gordon Strachan gambled by throwing on the striker for James Morrison late on. And the 28-year-old repaid his faith by clinically sweeping the ball beyond Slovenia keeper Jan Oblak.
It followed a superb through ball by Stuart Armstrong — who Strachan later claimed produced one of the best Scotland debuts he has seen — to keep the nation’s dream of reaching the finals in Russia next year just about alive.
‘It was amazing, that’s all I was focused on,’ said Martin of his match-winning effort after he had been
greeted with boos from sections of the Hampden crowd before coming on. ‘The manager sent me on to find the goal and luckily I came up with one. I was delighted to see it creep in at the corner.’ Martin said he did not notice the negative reaction on his introduction, adding: ‘I’m absolutely delighted I had the support of everyone in the dressing room and the manager behind me. I’m not too concerned about that. I need to focus on my job.’ Asked if he felt he had now won the fans over, he said: ‘Listen, that’s up to them to judge. I’m not going to be one to tell them what they should think and how they should think. ‘I do my job and, if the manager keeps picking me, I’ll go out and score goals, be a major part of this squad. ‘That’s all anyone in this squad thinks about. We’re extremely together and back each other. ‘I know I had the backing of the manager and the staff, but also all the lads. Hopefully, I’ve repaid their faith in me. ‘I have to be self-confident. Most players at this level will be. If I was worried about what other people thought, if I fretted about criticism, I probably wouldn’t be standing here in front of you today. ‘You have to be single-minded and have a focus. I have that.’ Scotland’s man-of-the-match Armstrong felt that Strachan’s men deserved the win on a night when his Celtic team-mate Leigh Griffiths saw two first-half efforts strike the woodwork. ‘We created a lot of chances in the first half and we didn’t take one,’ he said. ‘We thought maybe it’s not going to be our day, but luckily Chris comes up with a piece of magic. I think we got what we deserved in the end.’ A relieved Strachan insisted that he was ‘very proud’ of his side’s display. ‘I’m delighted for them all,’ he said. ‘I thought they were magnificent, considering the pressure they were under. They really should be proud of themselves.’ On the boos which greeted match-winner Martin’s arrival on the Hampden pitch, he said: ‘He gets a good reception from the players and the staff.’ Strachan also pointed out that the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Gary McAllister were also booed by Scotland fans during their careers, adding: ‘How’s that for company?’ And he reserved words of high praise for Armstrong, saying: ‘Stuart Armstrong could be the best Scottish debut I’ve ever seen.’