Callum saystoftir’s plastic is preferable to the lumpy pitch he had to put up with
Scotland’s next World Cup qualifier in the Faroe Islands on Tuesday night will rekindle some bad memories of a 1999 trip to Toftir for Callum Davidson.
The St Johnstone manager was a 22-year-old full-back when he played in a 1-1 draw against the minnows, a result that has gone down as one of the poorest in the country’s history.
“It was a big disappointment because we had gone to the 1998 World Cup in France, and the expectation was that we would qualify for Euro 2000,” said Davidson.
“I was relatively new to the group and, as you would imagine, just really thrilled to be playing for my country.
“But the draw over there set us back and, in the end, we didn’t make it – eventually losing in a play-off with England.
“When you are playing against an underdog, you want to impose yourselves on the game straight away by making a good start.
“We did just that, and went ahead through a goal from Allan Johnston.
“Unfortunately, Matt Elliott hit one of their players a few minutes later. So, at the interval, we were a goal up but a man down.
“I can’t remember too much of the game after that, other than us just hanging in there and trying to get through the 90 minutes with a win.
“Of course, we didn’t make it as they managed to score with a header off a set-piece late on.”
Davidson, who had a spell on the coaching staff of the national team in 2017, is nevertheless grateful for having had the experience.
“It is funny. There are things from that trip which have really stayed with me,” said the 45-year-old.
“We were there in the middle of June, and they are one of these countries that get midnight sun.
“We arrived at the hotel, and there were these heavy, black-out curtains you had to have drawn right across if you wanted any hope of getting sleep.
“The setting itself was also really dramatic. You are playing on the side of a cliff on a wee island in the middle of the ocean.
“I think that was most apparent when we first flew in. You looked down and couldn’t see anywhere to land – until suddenly this tiny strip appeared out of nowhere.
“So it was all very different and, as I say, there was the excitement of going there to play for Scotland.”
The Saints boss hopes Steve Clarke’s men have a more straightforward time of it this week.
“From what I gather, there is a much better set-up in Toftir now, with a new stadium in place,” he said.
“I know it is an artificial surface and not everyone is fan of those. But that might be better than the lumpy pitch we played on.
“Today’s minnows are probably comparatively stronger than used to be the case. But it is still a game we will have to look to win.
“I am confident we can do that because we have some verytalented players. But I also think we may have to show a bit of patience to get there.”