Footsoldier Moira racks up 74 years in the Tartan Army – and still counting
Much has been made of Billy Gilmour becoming the youngest player to represent Scotland at the finals of a major tournament.
The Chelsea midfielder, who turned 20 earlier this month, made his full debut against England on Friday night to assume this mantle from Duncan Ferguson, who appeared as a substitute at Euro ’92 aged 20 years and 168 days old.
But what about the oldest member of the Tartan Army who was present at Wembley?
Sir Alex Ferguson, who turns 80 in December, might have been there but even he cannot hold a candle to Moira Brown, 88 years young.
Surely she must now hold the record of oldest fan to witness
Scotland playing at a major finals?
She attended the World Cup in 1974 but missed 1978 due to work.
Her first game was in 1947.
“Since 1993, apart from having a football-related injury in Stockholm and missing three games,
I have been at every other game I could have been at,” she says, with the enforced absence from the play-off win in Serbia still a matter of regret.
The football-related injury? “It was en route after dancing on a ferry – I had a triple fracture. I still have screws in my ankle and knee. But it hasn’t stopped me.
"It was before a friendly against Sweden in Stockholm but I was hospitalised in Gothenburg. Fifteen months it took me to recover."
Moira has been a nurse and a teacher on Orkney: “I am 27 years retired now!” Home now is “the sunny Gorbals” in Glasgow, where she puts up Tartan Army members at games. As a former headmistress, she keeps Scotland fans in order on trips.
Three friends she has made on her travels are booked in for tomorrow’s game against Croatia. She has hosted as many as 13 at a time - "three were sleeping in the hall!".
Her current favourite players are Andy Robertson, John Mcginn, Kieran Tierney “and of course that young lad Gilmour – he really is a likely lad”. Her favourite all-time player is Billy Bremner: "A right toughie!"
She is hopeful of seeing Scotland make history against Croatia by qualifying for the second stage of a major finals.
No one, however long they have been watching Scotland, has seen that before.
“I will keep on doing it until I pop my clogs if possible!” she said of following Scotland.