Mighty Hampden roar is silenced by curse of Kane

‘Scotland’s staying home’ sang the visitors... and taking just one point from England clash leaves World Cup dream on the brink, says Stewart Fisher

WELL, as I said after a grim first half at Ha mpden yesterday, I don’t think we will be writing about this one in 50 years’ time. Little did anyone expect back then that the drama crammed into the last seven or eight minutes of this one would live with any of the previous chapters in the oldest and most epic grudge match in international football. From despair to jubilant celebration and back to a typically Scottish kind of purgatory by the end. From the return of the Hampden roar to an eerie, disbelieving silence. This was mind-scrambling stuff.

Scotland’s non-appearance at their tenth successive major finals isn’t quite fact yet but it would perhaps be prudent for us all to probably start making alternative plans for next summer. While four wins should still be enough to get us into second place, that is no easy task and we could actually now win all four and still not make it to Russia. The nagging suspicion last night was that this was a match Scotland probably needed to win to get ourselves on the road to our first major tournament since 1998 and ultimately we couldn’t quite make it. By hook or by crook, England’s 35-match unbeaten record in qualifying matches continues.

So the first answer to the question of where Scotland go from here is probably not to a major tournament any time soon. No wonder England fans mercilessly sung ‘Scotland’s staying home’ when Harry Kane’s injury time winner - his first in an England jersey for 13 months - allowed them to recover their poise.

Yet for a glorious three minutes it looked like the only place Scotland would be going after this one was onward to Lithuania in September with a spring in their step and their first home victory against the Auld Enemy since 1985 in their hip pocket. Strachan had told a story this week about a golf game with Kenny Dalglish and how he had said that he had been playing with the best Scottish striker in history only for his grandson to pipe up with ‘Who, Leigh Griffiths?’

After 12 games without a goal, Griffiths’ Scotland career has been a slow burn but he set fire to this place with two pieces of set piece technique, timed at 87 and 90 minutes, which were the only two times Joe Hart’ has been outwitted all campaign long.

But that still left four minutes for Scotland to hang on for their first signature victory since Paris, though, and as most Tartan Army footsoldiers know, that is generally too long. Stuart Armstrong made one poor decision when Scotland had a chance to break and Raheem

Short term, the only person likely to pull the trigger on Strachan’s time in Scotland is the man himself

Sterling’s cross and Kane’s finish were both clinical.

So gut wrenching and topsy turvy was this 90 minutes yesterday that it was hard to look beyond it and consider the big picture at play here. Even Gordon Strachan felt moved afterwards to retreat in order to have a “cup of tea”.

Is further trouble also brewing for the Scotland manager? Well, the Scotland manager has had his backers and his detractors during his reign and both will probably resurface in the next few days. But it seemed churlish last night to interrogate the manager’s position in such close proximity to a near miss of these proportions, and only right that he at least gets the chance to see this campaign through until things are mathematically certain.

Beyond that, it is questionable in my opinion how many people there are out there - Davie Moyes, anyone? - who could get more out of this group of players than he can, even if others would suggest it is time somebody else at least gets a chance. But marshalling his resources in a 5-4-1 shape made sense and in the short term the only person likely to pull the trigger on Strachan’s time in Scotland is the man himself.

The Scotland manager had cut a strangely circumspect figure at this venue in July 2015 when Scotland were re-united with England in Group F. Even yesterday, he said he would rather visit an orangutan sanctuary than attend the oldest fixture in international football these days. Gone are the days when Scotland could out-football our near neighbours, now the game plan has to be more pragamatic.

Within those boundaries, Scotland certainly gave their visistors a run for their money. Green shoots yesterday included the impetus and confidence of Celtic-based players like the mouthguard-wearing man of the match Kieran Tierney and Stuart Armstrong, and a sprinkling of other young talent like the in-demand Andy Robertson or yesterday’s debutant Ryan Fraser of Bournemouth. But Scotland needs more good young players, playing more often. The cash-rich academy structure in England has produced a team full of splendid athletes, quick, strong, tall, and with an excellent touch and attitude.

For all the technique of Griffiths, their sheer dynamism often left Scotland players cramping up on the turf. And their next wave aren’t too bad either; England’s Under-20 side will play in a World Cup final today.

It will take one of the greatest escapes in Scottish sporting history if it isn’t 22 years and counting from our last major finals appearance by the time the pan-European 2020 Euros come round, when Hampden Park is one of the host venues. So near but yet so far: this was a signal that Scotland can still be a player in international football. And also a reminder of the distance we still have to travel.