Hat-trick hero McGinn opens the floodgates

JOHN McGINN feared his historic hat-trick against San Marino was going to be washed away by a deluge at Hampden Park.

The Aston Villa midfielder became the first player to hit a first-half treble for Scotland since Lawrie Reilly in 1952 as Steve Clarke’s side responded to Thursday’s 4-0 drubbing in Russia.

McGinn admitted he was anxious about the match being abandoned when the players splashed through surface water in the second half — and thought his goals would be lost from the record books.

He had previously suffered an abandonment playing for St Mirren against Ross County in 2013, when the whole game had to be replayed.

However, McGinn’s concerns were unfounded as, under UEFA rules, Scotland would have restarted today from the point at which the match was called off.

‘There were flashbacks to St Mirren against Ross County when we were 2-0 up and that got called off,’ said McGinn (below). ‘Common sense prevailed. The referee never said anything. He didn’t even flinch, which was a good thing for us.

‘The ball was sticking a bit. The right-hand side was better than the left, but we decided at times to play on the left, which was a bit stupid.

‘The main thing tonight was to put on a performance and get a result and we managed to do that.’

Lawrence Shankland and Stuart Findlay, making their full debuts, added to McGinn’s hat-trick in the second half before Southampton midfielder Stuart Armstrong completed the rout by firing a free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards.

Scotland manager Clarke was a relieved man after ending a run of four defeats — two each against Russia and Belgium.

‘Hopefully this repairs a little bit of the fragility that was in the squad after the four games against top opposition,’ said Clarke.

‘To come out and get a game like this at home means everyone can leave with smiles on their faces. It’s nice to see and the players deserve credit for bouncing back.’

While automatic qualification for Euro 2020 has gone, Scotland can still make the finals through the Nations League play- off games in March.