Second-half collapse leaves Gemmill gutted
SCOT GEMMILL lamented Scotland’s second-half collapse after England blew his team away with a goal blitz after the break. An outstanding opener from Celtic’s Mikey Johnston looked like it could take Scotland to a first ever Toulon Tournament final until their rivals took a firm grip. Admitting he expected more from his players, coach Gemmill said: ‘They know the second half wasn’t good enough. Young players can be inconsistent at this level but you have to credit England for their reaction. ‘We didn’t do enough. We knew we’d have to contain them for the whole game. We were excellent in the first half and I felt we were close to executing our plan. ‘It’s fine margins, though, and when you play against a top team, you get punished. We had several chances in the first half but were only 1-0 up. In the second half, we came up short and to concede three goals is very disappointing.’ But Gemmill, whose side went out to defending champions England at the same stage last summer, added: ‘Last year, we came up very short. This year there is a lot to be positive about because of the first-half performance. We really pushed England. ‘To top a group featuring France and teams from Africa and Asia is a fantastic achievement — and it’s not over yet because we’ll go all out to beat Turkey (for third place).’ Johnston, 19, admitted his superb strike counted for little in the end. ‘I’m gutted about the result,’ he said. ‘When the dust settles, I’ll probably look back and think it was a good goal. ‘We have to be encouraged by what we’ve done. At this stage a year ago, we didn’t lay a glove on England. We gave them a game today.’ England boss Aidy Boothroyd admitted he was a worried man as the Scots led at half-time. ‘Scotland always play with their hearts and are always tough opposition,’ he said. ‘When Johnston scored that fantastic goal I thought: “Here we go”. But we were patient and a lot better in the second half.’