GORDON: BRING IT ON!
EX-SUNDERLAND KEEPER NOT FAZED BY DIFFICULTIES AHEAD IN SCOTLAND-ENGLAND CLASH
Former Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon claims there is no way Scotland will be overawed by facing England tonight – despite their visitors’ long unbeaten run.
England visit Hampden Park (5pm kick-off ) defending an eight-year undefeated record in qualifiers.
Gareth Southgate’s men handed out a clinical 3-0 defeat when the teams met at Wembley in November.
However, treble-winning Celtic star Gordon said: “We are confident in our own abilities. Of course England are going to go in as favourites. You look at their players and they have fantastic attributes right across the team, they have good experience.
“There is nothing there that’s different from the last one.
“We just have to go out and impose ourselves a bit more, but we don’t feel overawed by this at all. They are a good team, we respect that, but we want to put a performance on of our own.
“Without a doubt, we have players who are capable of hurting England, and if we get enough of the ball and create chances, we fancy our chances to take one or two.”
Scotland kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Slovenia in March.
“We played really well and created a lot of chances against a really good team,” Gordon said. “We have got to take confidence from that – it was a really good performance, we kept the ball, passed it and created chances, and we probably should have scored a few more than we did. It should have been more comfortable towards the end.
“But it was what we needed at that particular time in the group. It got us back into contention and if we can perform like we did in that match, then we will certainly cause England a few problems.
“We are never going to give in, we know that, and we take that into this game in the knowledge that everybody is pulling tin the same direction.”
The 34-year-old was asked whether the world’s oldest international fixture is still as special.
“Absolutely, of course it is,” Gordon said. “There is no bigger international game for us. Whoever plays England, they want to beat them, and we are probably at the top of that list.
“We can’t wait to get started, it’s a great opportunity for us to have a go and be the team that is the first to beat them in a long time.
“It’s huge. The build-up to it has been excellent, everybody is in a great place so it’s all set up now.
“But it’s only memorable for us if we win, and that’s we are going out to try and do.
“We’ll have to play at our very best. If we do that then we give ourselves a chance.”