Gemmill hopes young Scots learned lesson in Lanarkshire

Iceland 1 2

SCOT GEMMILL hopes his Scotland Under- 21 side learned from a harsh lesson in their 2- 1 friendly defeat by Iceland at Fir Park.

The young Scots started with pace and purpose and created several chances, but they led only 1- 0 at the interval thanks to a goal on the half- hour mark by debutant Max Johnston, on loan at Cove Rangers from Motherwell.

However, in a marked turnaround after the break, Iceland attacker Kristall Mani Ingason levelled two minutes into the second half and then converted a penalty in the 59th minute for the winner.

Gemmill noted eight debutants by the end of the night and looked ahead to the next European Championship qualification campaign, which begins in 2023.

“It was really exciting to see the players in the first half with how dangerous we can be and how many chances we created,” he said. “But you have to take them and you have to credit Iceland in the second half because they really hustled us in the first 20 minutes. That is the real learning point of the game.

“I’ve spoken to the players because that’s the challenge.

We’ve got a lot of new players who need to get up to speed with the level, but we have to keep it in context in working towards this new generation of players. We’re not going home too disappointed because of the first half.

“The first 20 minutes of the second half, ridiculously, could help us next year because we need to show that level and they need that reaction.

“Now it’s happened to a lot of them who are still learning the level, we have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Liverpool’s exciting 17- yearold prospect Ben Doak, making his first start, should have scored at least two in the opening 45 minutes and there could have been more.

It was the latest preparation match for Scot Gemmill’s side ahead of the next European Championship qualification campaign which begins in 2023 and there was a new look about his line- up, partly due to the loss of several players from his original squad.

Bayern Munich B defender Liam Morrison made his debut as captain, with Newcastle Under21 goalkeeper Jude Smith, Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, Alex Lowry of Rangers, Johnston and Ibane Bowat of Fulham’s academy also featuring at this level for the first time.

Free entry to the game brought in a decent main stand crowd of 2128, many of them enthusiastic children, who were impressed by the home side’s start. Johnston, son of former Scotland winger Allan Johnston, created his goal, feeding Doak down the right and keeping his run going until he got the return pass to slide the ball in from 10 yards.

The Scots looked good for another. Doak was thwarted again by Benediktsson after bursting into the box before striker Tommy Conway blasted a shot from close range off the Iceland keeper’s head moments later. However, it took a good Smith save from Danijel Dejan Djuric just before the break to keep the score level and it was a warning the Scots failed to heed.

In the 47th minute, after the visitors reached the Scotland box all too easily, Ingason’s first effort from 12 yards was blocked by Morrison but his second shot proved too powerful for Smith, who got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out. Ingason doubled his tally from the spot after Morrison was adjudged to have tripped Iceland substitute Kristofer Jonsson inside the penalty area.

Thomas Dickson- Peters came on to make his Scotland debut along with Archie Meekison and the home side fought back.

Defender Connor McAvoy had an effort cleared off the line by one of several white shirts defending, before Robbie Fraser was sent on for his debut along with Adam Devine. And with Iceland using all their allocated subs, the match finished in a scrappy fashion.