PATCHY SCOTS PICK UP SIX
Minnows are put in their place but only after seizing moment of glory
TWO months before man set foot on the moon for the first time, Gordon Strachan stood on the Hampden terraces to witness a Halley’s Comet moment. Just 12 at the time, he could hardly have known 46 years would pass before a Scotsman scored another international hat-trick.
‘I was here when Colin Stein scored four,’ said the Scots boss after Steven Fletcher’s star turn against Gibraltar. ‘It’s a long time ago — and a few stone ago — but I was there.’
He was back again, last night. The old ash wooden steps are long gone, but the technical area provided an excellent vantage point to watch the landmarks tumble down as heavily as the rain over Glasgow.
Fletcher climbed back into his Lamborghini as the first Scotland player to drive home a hat-trick since Stein in an 8-0 win over Cyprus in May 1969.
Strachan’s team became the first in dark blue to rack up half a dozen goals since a 6-0 thrashing of the Faroes in 2006.
And, to prove history comes in all shapes and sizes, David Marshall became the first keeper to lose a goal to the minnows of Gibraltar in a competitive international.
‘McGregor and Gordon now love me,’ said Strachan, only half joking. ‘They think I’m the best manager in the world for not picking them — they’re not in the history books.’
Rightly, Scotland’s boss was quick to hand credit to the visitors. Fletcher took the headlines with his first goals for his country since April 2009, Shaun Maloney scoring two penalties and Steven Naismith the other.
Yet this was a patchy, unconvincing performance at times. The Scots won the three points and are still on course in Group D.
The Gibraltar team of semi-pro part-timers put together by Scot Davie Wilson made the first half an astonishing affair at times. Their tally of goals against is now 27 in five qualifiers. But for 10 minutes the one they scored threatened to break the worldwide web.
‘I’m so proud of all the players,’ said Gibraltar’s interim coach. ‘They’ve given us everything. And now we’re even getting free fish and chips to celebrate — the Blue Lagoon chippie in Glasgow sent a card to the hotel this morning saying they were laying them on for us…’
Presumably the fish was as battered as their defenders at the end of a long 90 minutes.
Scotland’s breakthrough came from the penalty spot in 18 minutes via a dubious award. Matt Ritchie, earning his second cap, played a pass i nviting Maloney to give chase.
The attacker got to the byeline first, knocking the ball past keeper Jamie Robba and out of play.
Had the keeper kept his hands to himself Gibraltar would have survived. Instead he sent the striker tumbling rashly. It took a word from the assistant behind the goal to make the Finnish ref ’s mind up, Maloney tucking home.
That, we assumed, was that. With a goal at their back Scotland would make short work of the spirited, plucky underdogs.
So there was widespread disbelief when Gibraltar refused to be patronised or quelled.
It was glorious stuff, in truth. The very essence of football. The visitors had already caused panic in the eighth minute when Joseph Chipolina threw in a cross from the left flank which keeper Davi d Marshal l flapped at horribly, the ball careering off his own crossbar. Trying — and failing — to adapt to t he novelty of a three-man defence featuring one central defender and two full-backs in a 3-2-4-1 formation, Scotland were caught cold in the aftermath of the opener. ‘We took it for granted Gibraltar were not going to score,’ admitted Strachan.
Itt was a big mistake. Andrew Robertson was out of position when Lee Casciaro wrote himself into the history books, racing onto a pass by Aaron Payas to slot through the legs of Marshall for 1-1.
Pre- match expectations of a rout suddenly felt rather foolish. Scotland spent 10 minutes at home ti ed with a British Overseas territory of just 30,000 people.
They reclaimed the lead in 29 minutes, Fletcher scoring his first since April 2009. A right-footed cross from the left flank by Ikechi Anya was headed unconvincingly up into the air by defender David Artell. Fletcher reacted f i rst, nodding the ball inside the righthand post as the keeper scrambled in slow motion across his line.
He savoured the moment, sliding on his knees in relief as much as anything. The monkey, at last, was off his back
Collectively, there would be no repeat of the calamity which followed the first goal. Scotland began to relax.
In the aftermath of the third goal, in 34 minutes, the game followed its pre-ordained script. It came from a second penalty of the game, rightly awarded for a bizarre flying challenge from Gibraltar scorer Casciaro on Naismith.
Maloney opted for the tried and tested, going for the same corner, but a little higher. It flew into the net for 3-1. Gibraltar were now a busted flush.
Fletcher hit the outside of the post with a deft effort, but the fourth goal came seven minutes before the interval.
The visitors played themselves into trouble in their own area, Anya managing to stay onside before picking out Naismith with a cut-back.
He netted smartly for 4-1. The scoreline, as half-time beckoned, had a more acceptable hue.
Oddly, however, Scotland refused to apply a foot to the throats of their fading visitors. Fletcher, in truth, might have had five here. He blew a wonderful chance from an Alan Hutton cross in 62 minutes but i mproved markedly when Jordan Rhodes appeared to provide some back-up in attack.
The only disappointment was that Rhodes didn’t claim a goal or two as well. He had his chances, controlling a long diagonal ball from fellow sub Barry Bannan in 76 minutes before thrashing the ball into the side-netting.
He atoned within a minute when his cross from the right flank picked out Fletcher for his second goal — a downward header.
The Sunderland striker should have had his hat-trick four minutes from time when he thumped a neat Rhodes lay- off towards goal but Robba saved.
Yet the Gibraltar keeper was merely delaying the inevitable.
With one minute of normal time to play, Fletcher produced the kind of calm, composed finish which comes of renewed confidence, passing the ball into the bottom corner from 16 yards for a small, long-awaited slice of Scottish footballing history.