GEMMILL WANTS A ROUSING TYNECASTLE TURNOUT

SCOT GEMMILL has urged fans to turn out in force to roar on his talented Scotland Under-21s at Tynecastle tonight as they aim to take a step closer to a first qualification for the European Championships since 1996. Speaking ahead of third-placed Greece’s visit to Edinburgh, the head coach admitted he is hugely excited about the quality of the young players currently coming through the system. Gemmill’s side, including rising Chelsea star Billy Gilmour in midfield, are looking for the victory that would to take them four points clear of the Greeks and on course to end a 23-year exile from the finals. However, the manager would love to see a higher attendance than the paltry 1,084 who turned out to watch the team’s last match, a disappointing 0-0 draw with Lithuania which, admittedly, wasn’t helped by a 5pm kick-off. ‘Right now, I would argue with anyone who sees the national youth teams and fails to see the quality of players we have,’ said Gemmill. ‘I would urge people to come and see the games. ‘People make observations and comments about the Under-21s but without really seeing our matches, seeing our opposition, and the levels that they, and we, are at. ‘When we go away from home, the stadiums are packed with people. It makes the experience live up to the billing for the players in terms of giving them the best learning experience.’ Gemmill would love for his conviction to be borne out by the team qualifying for the finals in Hungary and Slovenia in 2021. But he insists the age group’s failure to do so since 1996 must be placed in perspective. ‘Of course there’s no better way to influence people than winning football games — whether that’s with your club or with your country,’ he said.

‘But the context has to be there. ‘For example, the format for qualification for the Under-21 European Championships has changed over the years.

‘When I played for the Under-21s in the early 1990s it was a knockout competition and you played home and away.

‘Now it’s about seedings and coefficients and groups, so it is a lot harder to reach the finals.

‘So when people speak about the Under-21s not qualifying for many years I think it is only fair that people know about these changes.’