TAYLOR EYES REPEAT PERFORMANCE IN TOULON
GREG TAYLOR netted a winner against Brazil on the way to Scotland Under-21s claiming third place in last year’s Toulon Tournament — and the Kilmarnock full-back is convinced Scot Gemmill’s team can go even further this time round after Wednesday’s fine victory over hosts France. Oliver Burke’s solitary goal means a win in tomorrow’s final group match against South Korea — who have lost their opening two games — would almost certainly be enough to see the Scots win the group and go into the semi-finals for the second year in a row. Taylor, 20, who played his part against France and in a disappointing 1-1 opener with Togo, sees similarities between this campaign and the last one when Gemmill’s men bounced back to beat Brazil after an earlier loss to Czech Republic. ‘The win puts us right in with a chance of qualification,’ said the youngster. ‘I’m not sure beating France was as good as beating Brazil because I scored in that one! No, it was just as good. I thought the boys dug in. ‘We all worked hard, did our job, listened to Scot, kept it narrow and it was just as satisfying, to be fair. ‘We started off disappointed last year, then we beat Brazil. It probably suits us, the counter-attacking game and it’s maybe a wee bit harder if we have to go and dominate the game. ‘Against Togo we did create the chances, we just didn’t get the ball over the line. ‘Of course we can win on Saturday and go a long way. It’s in our own hands. We’ve just got to put on a performance and see where it takes us.’ Wednesday’s victory was Scotland’s first over France at any level since James McFadden’s famous 2007 winner in Paris. Taylor is like a grizzled veteran in this team, with Gemmill blooding 16-year-olds Billy Gilmour of Chelsea and Chris Hamilton of Hearts against France. He even took over the armband when captain Burke was replaced. ‘That’s been a massive honour for me,’ he admitted. ‘It’s something you dream about as a kid, whether that’s Under-21s level or any level. I was delighted to get it after big Oli came off. They’ve all been brilliant.’