Matchless

Out of pure politeness and Scottish reticence, writing to an English friend today, I’ve not mentioned that lucky draw England managed to scrape at Hampden on Saturday.

The English clearly had superior players – they cost a barrowload of money more, that’s for sure – but they were just as clearly snuffed out by superior commitment.

However, what delighted me most as a Hibs fan was that Leigh Griffiths, a player rejected by English football and reinvented by Hibernian FC, demonstrated how goals should be scored, a skill he developed so sublimely in the atmosphere of Easter Road, Edinburgh.

As I say, I’ve not dwelt on England’s lucky equaliser, entirely against the run of play, because I’m no nationalist. Although every true Scot knows where Britishness ends and Scottishness begins – on the fitba pitch!

ROBERT VEITCH Paisley Drive, Edinburgh