Scotland (National Football)

A new era starts for Scotland tonight.

How many times have we said that in the past decade or so?

Scotland face Estonia in a friendly at Pittodrie which sees Gordon Strachan begin his tenure as manager of the national side.

Having been out of the game since a less than impressive spell in charge at Middlesborough ended unceremoniously in 2010, Strachan was the man most people wanted to take charge and there was little surprise when he was appointed just under a month ago.

The introductions and niceties are out of the way and while tonight's game is only a friendly, it marks an occasion for Strachan to start to win fans over who have become increasingly disillusioned with the national team in recent years.

Ultimately he'll be judged as a manager on his results but it's well known that if you can establish a winning mentality in friendly games, it's easy to transfer it over once the competitive games start coming. By the same token, if you're unable to get goals and unable to win friendly matches then the chances are you'll struggle with the same problems in competitive games.

There are no points on offer and nothing is at stake in that sense in terms of qualification, but a victory and a good performance in Aberdeen, where he himself was so successful as a player, would help get some belief back into a side who were so lacklustre and directionless under previous manager Craig Levein.

Yet while we'll be hoping the approach and attitude is somewhat different to his predecessor, largely he's chosen to go with the same players. The squad he selected features no new faces and for the most part is made up of the same players as under Craig Levein, with the exception being the recall of Chris Burke.

It's a squad that doesn't suggest much in the way of imagination.

As a nation we're aware that we have limited options at our disposal, but the decision to pick Lee Wallace, currently playing Third Division football with the newly-formed Rangers has sparked much debate.

Can you really justify overlooking a player like Paul Dixon who looked assured and composed at left-back when making his debut last year for someone who's playing week-in, week-out in the lowest tier of Scottish football and who looked out of his depth against Premier League Dundee United at the weekend?

It's not the only decision which might raise one or two question marks.

Kenny Miller has been one of Scotland's most relied upon players over the past decade but does he really still deserve a place in the side? He hasn't played a competitive match since the MLS finished back at the end of November and there are better options out there.

Even if Leigh Griffiths's off-field behaviour might have been reason enough to exclude him from the squad, surely Johnny Russell merits inclusion?

Strachan might be reluctant to make too many changes after less than a month in charge but there's a tendency to feel that if this really is to be the start of a new era, sacrifices have to be made. If we really want to make progress as a side then you start to think that we have to integrate exciting young talents like Johnny Russell and Gary Mackay-Steven as soon as possible. Players can't afford to be given an endless number of chances before it's time to look elsewhere.

Of course, it would be daft to make too many rash judgments based on his first squad.

As we've said, with a group already established it's not always the best solution to start making wholesale changes straight away, even if we're far from where we want to be in international football. It's the style of playing and the level of performance which have to change, regardless of the personnel, and we'll have to wait to see the team in action before we can get an idea if we're making any progress.

But if this is indicative of Strachan's long term approach to management of the national side—a reluctance to know when to phase older players out and to avoid taking risks in terms of selection—then this might not really be the start of a new era at all. It could well be that we'll see more of what we've seen all too much of in recent years, just with a different face looking bemused and disappointed on the touchline and in post-match press conferences.

Strachan was criticised by some as being an unimaginative choice for the job and while we're still in the very early stages of his time in charge, it could well be that he'll need to show a bit more imagination if he's to turn the doubters around.

Gordon Strachan has agreed to become the new Scotland manager, according to a BBC Sport report.

The 55-year-old has not worked in management since leaving Middlesbrough in October 2010, but is now set to replace Craig Levein, who was sacked by the Scottish Football Association in November 2012 after a run of poor results.

Scotland are currently bottom of Group A in the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign after defeats to Belgium and Wales in October last year.

Strachan's first game in charge is likely to be a friendly against Estonia next month at Hampden Park.

Strachan, who won 50 caps for Scotland between 1980 and 1992, played for his country in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups in Spain and Mexico, respectively.

He began his managerial career with Coventry City in 1996 and helped to save the club from relegation with a last-day win at Tottenham in the 1996-97 season.

Strachan guided Southampton to the FA Cup final in 2003, where they were beaten by Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

His most successful spell in management came at Celtic where he replaced Martin O'Neill in 2005.

Strachan won three successive Scottish Premier League titles with the Parkhead club and became the first manager to take them beyond the Champions League group stages in the 2006-2007 season.

He missed out on a fourth SPL title in 2009 and stepped down from his post with the club.

Strachan joined Middlesbrough in October 2009, but after an unsuccessful stint with the Championship side he resigned a year later. However, Strachan refused any compensation from the Teesside club, as The Guardian reported at the time.

Craig Levein is a man under pressure.  The Scotland national football team sit fifth in Group A’s qualifying table for World Cup 2014 and even the most optimistic Scot would have to admit that any hopes of qualification are pretty much dead after only three games.

After two home draws and an away defeat in Wales, the critical voices within the Tartan Army and the national press have grown louder.  It now seems only a matter of time before the inevitable happens and Craig Levein is sacked.

While I do not agree with every decision Levein has made when in charge, I feel genuinely sorry for his plight as at the end of the day he can look back on his Scotland career to date and feel he got unlucky.

Not just slightly unlucky – very unlucky.

Firstly, key refereeing decisions have gone against him at crucial times in important matches.

Scotland’s hopes of  qualifying for Euro 2012 were all but obliterated when the Czech Republic were incorrectly given a penalty in the final minutes of their crucial tie at Hampden last year.  This penalty was converted and Scotland missed a playoff spot as a result.

In the second game of the 2014 qualifying campaign against Macedonia, Macedonia’s opening goal was clearly offside and should never have stood.  The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Most recently, in last week's 2-1 away defeat in Wales, Scotland had a goal incorrectly disallowed at a pivotal moment in the match.  Already 1-0 up and with 15 minutes to play, Steven Fletcher’s header was chopped off when the assistant judged James Morrison’s cross had crossed the byline and gone out of play.

It hadn’t.  It wasn’t even close.

Then to add insult to injury, Wales were handed a soft penalty kick which Gareth Bale converted before winning the game with a last minute wonder strike.

Levein can look back at all of these incidents and quite rightly feel hard done by.

My assessment of Levein’s bad luck doesn’t end with refereeing decisions.  Many of the fans are of the opinion that Levein is “too negative," however I feel this is a criticism based purely retrospectively on results and using hindsight.

With the exception of the frankly ludicrous and now infamous 4-6-0 formation he deployed in the Czech Republic, the team under Levein has been no more defensively-minded than under his predecessors Alex McLeish and Walter Smith.

McLeish and Smith are both held in high regard by the Scotland fans, yet neither managed qualification for a major tournament.

When analysing the difference between these men and Levein, it comes down to very narrow margins.  Smith and McLeish will always be remembered for Scotland’s fantastic results against France, however if you were to be perfectly honest, Scotland rode their luck in both of those games.  France had numerous shots on target, hit the woodwork several times and dominated possession in both games.  Everything went right for the Scots and twice 1-0 victories were recorded.

The close games, the tight matches that could swing either way had an uncanny knack of falling in McLeish and Smith’s favour.  Exactly the opposite is happening to Craig Levein.

In Levein’s post-match interview following the defeat in Wales, he looked like a man beaten into submission by fate.  He must feel that this string of bad luck is so consistent, it is inevitable that it will continue.

Unfortunately, whether it does or not, the damage has already been done.  Fairly or unfairly, the fans have lost their faith in the manager and many of them are now demanding change.

If the writing is on the wall and Levein’s time in the Scotland hot seat does come to an end soon, he’ll undoubtedly feel that fortune never gave him a chance.

I, for one, would agree with him.

Scotland look to further their chances of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as they take on away matches in Wales and Belgium over the next week.

After an incredibly mediocre start with only two points from two home games, many within the Tartan Army have all but written off Scotland’s chances of making it out of the group stages.

But there is still cause for optimism.

Firstly, Group A is one of the tightest groups there has been in years.  Of the six teams, there are no obvious runaway winners and no obvious whipping boys either.  In fact, give the list of Group A teams (Belgium, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Scotland and Wales) to five different football fans and ask them to seed the teams in order; it is highly probable you would have five different lists returned to you.  This leads to the situation where every team is capable of taking points from everyone else.  Scotland’s unbeaten start, therefore, keeps them in contention, but also necessitates they win at least one of their games this week so as not to fall too far behind the leaders.

The good news from a Scotland point of view is that Craig Levein has finally patched things up with striker Steven Fletcher to give some much needed firepower up front.  Fletcher is on red-hot form in the English Premier League, having scored five goals for Sunderland already this season and deservedly taken September’s Player of the Month Award.

Scotland have been struggling for goals of late, and while I would argue that Kenny Miller is a good pick for a game in which Scotland are looking to contain technically better opposition, when looking to win a match against similar or weaker opposition, they need something more.

Steven Fletcher’s addition to the squad definitely gives them that.

Whichever way you look at it, qualification is going to be a hard task.  International football is very different from club football, and the fact you only play 10 games per qualifying campaign means that every game matters.  With such a small sample size, luck will also inevitably play a big part.

The luck that Scotland could use firstly comes in the form of keeping their key players fit.  The return of Darren Fletcher and Scott Brown will give the team some much needed backbone in the midfield and the confidence to really go forward and attack—something Scotland need to do to get to Brazil, as draws simply won’t cut it.

At the moment, Scotland’s qualifying hopes are in the balance, but with Steven Fletcher’s inclusion and the return of key players from injury, Scotland stand a fantastic chance of getting their campaign back on track.  For Scotland to realistically have a shot at qualification, I would suggest a minimum of four points is required from the trips to Wales and Belgium.  If they can do that, it’s still going to be a long journey, but it definitely won’t be over.  Less than three points, and it's safe to say the Tartan Army won't be needing to renew their passports any time soon.

The latest round of World Cup qualifiers includes a game between Wales and Scotland, probably a clash between two nations which will fail to qualify for the tournament. However, past games between the two nations have thrown a lot of drama, and some good football, too. (The Guardian is carrying a great piece about the best games between the two.) However, the clash will forever be synonymous with the death of Jock Stein, one of the greatest managers football has ever seen.

Achievements with Celtic

Jock Stein began his football career playing part-time for Albion Rovers. The best spell of his playing career came at Celtic, where he won the Coronation Cup in 1953 followed by a League and Cup double in 1954. However, persistent injury to his ankle led to Stein's retirement at the age of 35 in 1957.

It was as manager at Celtic though that Stein made his mark on football. In March 1965, he became the Glasgow club's first Protestant manager and the fourth manager in the history of the club. Over the next 13 years that he managed Celtic, he won the Scottish League ten times, the Scottish Cup eight times and the Scottish League Cup six times. His greatest achievement came in 1967 when Celtic won an unprecedented (and since unequaled) quadruple. In addition to the domestic treble, Celtic also became the first British side to win the European Cup. And the most amazing fact was that Stein achieved all this with a team whose players all came from within a 30 mile radius of Glasgow.

Along with Sir Matt Busby and Bill Shankly, Stein was a part of a triumvirate of inspirational Scottish managers who lifted their respective clubs from relative anonymity to an almost mythical status. His achievement in making Celtic the pre-eminent club in Scotland alone elevated Stein to the pantheon of managerial greats.

Death by the Side of the Pitch

Stein became the manager of Scotland on his 56th birthday, only a few weeks after he began his job as the manager of Leeds United. During Stein's tenure, Scotland wasn't the anemic football nation with few world-class players that it is now. Stein's tenure as Scotland manager also saw the golden generation of Scottish footballers playing for their country, including Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Jim Leighton, Alex McLeish, Willie Miller and Graeme Souness.

Following a disappointing qualifying campaign for the European Championships in 1980, Stein led Scotland to the World Cup in Italy in 1982. Scotland beat New Zealand, lost to Brazil and drew to the Soviet Union in their games at the World Cup. They were eventually edged out in the group stage on goal difference by the Soviet Union. 

Stein appointed a young Alex Ferguson, then working his magic at Aberdeen, as his assistant during the qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup. In a campaign with its ups and downs, Scotland played Wales at Ninian Park in Cardiff in the final group game, needing to win in order to qualify for a playoff tie against Australia. What happened next has been widely chronicled and written about. At the end of a game where Scotland came back from a goal down to secure a draw and a place in the playoffs, Stein collapsed due to a heart attack at the side of the pitch at the final whistle. He died shortly afterwards in the stadium's medical room, even as doctors and paramedics tried desperately to revive him. Stein was only 62 at the time of his death.

A Lasting Influence

BBC Radio recently broadcast a beautiful tribute to the late Scottish manager, in which ex-Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger Pat Nevin calls Stein the most influential manager in the history of football in Britain. Certainly, his influence on managers like Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, Craig Brown and Jim McLean was immense. In a sense, Stein was the managerial godfather before Alex Ferguson assumed that position. There is a huge list of players who played under Stein and then went on to become successful managers, including Kenny Dalglish, Billy McNeill, Alex McLeish, Graeme Souness and Gordon Strachan.

On the occasion of the most recent match between Wales and Scotland, it is difficult not to cast one's mind back in time and remember Jock Stein and his achievements. One remembers the success he achieved and the tenets of control and man management he preached as a manager. One remembers the influence he still has on people who run the game today. And one remembers the poetic denouement to a life dedicated to football—the end of which came on the edge of the very pitch Stein prowled so fearlessly through his life.

Scotland won in thrilling comeback fashion Wednesday, thanks in part to the shook-up lineup that manager Craig Levein implemented.

The rain that stayed at bay from the United Kingdom for much of the Olympic games came out in force at Easter Road in Edinburgh.

Scotland had a tough test against Australia, a nation that is ranked No. 24 in the FIFA World Rankings and has qualified for the last two FIFA World Cups. Movement by Scotland was sharp in the early going, linking several passes together to maintain possession and control of the game.

Jordan Rhodes, the Huddersfield Town striker who received his first Men's A-team national cap, didn't take long to get involved in the contest.

In the 4' minute, Rhodes' first touch inside the six-yard box popped the ball into the air where he lost it, promptly to be recovered by Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer.

The biggest news of the first half was the blatant handball that Danny Fox got away with in the 18' minute. In addition, replay not only revealed that Fox had touch the ball with his right arm. It had also, in fact, completely crossed the plane of the goal-line.

Fox wasn't called for the infraction, which let him avoid a red card and gave Scotland the luxury of keeping 11 men on the pitch.

But in this incident, justice was swift in the "socceroos" favor.

Australian midfielder Marco Bresciano hit a loose volley, following a cross for an absolute dream strike—one that will make the highlight reels of Australian football for years to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zq_fvyKg8A

Bresciano's goal was also in the 18' minute, roughly 40 seconds following the uncalled handball by Fox.

To make matters worse for the Scots, goalkeeper Allan McGregor hobbled off in the 22' minute, favoring what looked like a knee injury. This brought in Matt Gilks to show what he had.

The doom and gloom for Scotland was short-lived however, as Fox found Rhodes with a very forward cross for a quickfire header in the 28' minute to level the score. Charlie Adam nearly found Rhodes again in the 39' minute with a through ball as they charged the box, but it was met by Schwarzer.

After a rather stagnant start the the second half, Gilks came up with a stellar save in the 59' minute.

It was the 62' minute when Scotland's go-ahead goal came off the head of Australia first-time player Jason Davidson, after Scottish players were coming forward with numbers.

Ross McCormack found a goal for Scotland in the 76' minute, putting an exclamation on a solid performance all around.

Australia seemed as though they'd spent much of their fitness in the first half and, after the goal by McCormack, seemed as though they'd been deflated.

Many Scottish fans questioned the ability of the team after the terrible outing in Jacksonville against the United States, but coming off of an exhausting club campaign and playing in an environment of high heat and humidity, it's likely that the same result would be hard to duplicate.

This result shows that Scotland are indeed ready for the challenges that await them in the World Cup Qualifiers, which begin 8 September against Serbia at Hampden Park.

After the excitement of last week’s European Championship Elite Round for the Scottish men’s under-17 side, it was now the turn of the under-17s ladies to take center stage and show that they are as worthy of public adoration as much as their male counterparts.

Livingston’s Braidwood Motor Company Stadium hosted the Vauxhall International Challenge match. Scotland and their visitors, Sweden, played under tremendous sunshine, unusual for this time of year but welcome all the same.

Despite Sweden taking an early lead, Scotland rebounded to seal the 4-2 victory with a couple of double strikes each for Zoe Ness and Abbi Grant to earn the win for the hosts.

With Scotland women’s national coach Anna Signeul at the stadium to view the talent on show, the girls performed admirably on both sides and presented the watching public with an end-to-end exhibition of female football at its best.

Sweden took an early lead on a bizarre goal; Marija Banusic’s effort somehow squeezed under a plethora of players in the 6-yard area before finding an invisible tunnel under the Scottish keeper Chloe Logan and into the back of the net. The goal was the result of some early Swedish pressure, but the Scots' players still smarted from losing such a normally clearable ball.

Losing a goal on home soil seemed to spur the young home grown stars into life as they pushed forward looking for the equalizing goal.

On the 17-minute mark, on-fire Ness, who plies her trade for Cestria GFC, tried an audacious lob from 20 yards out that saw the Swedish keeper Caroline Hermansson stretch out and fingertip the ball over the bar, much to the disbelief of the Scottish striker.

However, the keeper’s blank sheet was soon to be sullied after Ness once again stepped up to set her sights on billowing the whiter than white net behind the keeper’s big gloves. The striker met the end of a perfectly weighted cross on the 6-yard line to fire home to the delight of her colleagues in navy blue to make the scoreline 1-1 after 27 minutes of play.

The game was free-flowing from end to end with many sterling performances on show from both teams participating in this challenge match. Sweden’s attack, including Sofia Wannerdahl on the left, was particularly dangerous moving forward with Scotland’s Ness and Grant both linking well up front and looking like scoring at every effort.

Scotland nearly took the lead on 34 minutes with a strike from five yards by Grant, but the ball was cleared from the line. This only prolonged the wait for the home side to go in front as Ness added her second of the match only 60 seconds later with a pinpoint header to the far away corner of the goal.

The roar of delight was evident around the stadium, showing the partisan nature of the support, but they also valued the nature and spirit in which the game was being played as both sides continued to press and push for more goals to thrill the watching fans.

A minute after scoring her second, Ness had another chance to add a goal. Yet, her close-range strike at the near post was pushed round the post and out for a corner, ending the action for the first half with the Scots in front 2-1.

The second period of play started the same way as the first ended, with the home side in the ascendancy within minutes of the restart, Carolina Richardson tried her arm at extending her side's lead, but her shot across the goal had no takers; the intent was there for all to see that the Scots were looking for more.

The game lit up on the 51st minute when Abbi Grant struck a screamer of a volley from 10 yards out into the top of the net, giving her side a 3-1 lead with just under 30 minutes remaining.

The two-goal advantage lasted only four minutes though, as the Scandinavians struck back with a strange and peculiar goal that flew into the back post area of the net direct from a corner on the left. The inswinger from Moa Pettersson seemed to evade everyone in its path and nestled nicely at the back post much to the amazement of everyone watching.

The game was nicely poised with 25 minutes remaining and further chances were made by both sides as the match progressed. Sweden’s Wannerdahl shot over, followed shortly afterwards by Hanna Sandstorm’s effort straight down the throat of Logan in goal. Despite these chances, the Scots stayed in the lead.

The Swedes were looking menacing as they pushed forward, looking for that all important goal that would draw them level. Tomros tried, and Sandstrom had another chance, but the Scots’ goalie stood firm in the wake of this torrent of efforts to break through her final wall of defence.

But, as the game was drawing its final breath, up popped Grant to glance home a header for Scotland. This ended the match as a competition and, moments later, the final whistle shrilled around the four stands with the final score standing at 4-2 for the home side.

It was yet another show of footballing technique and style from the young ladies that many players from the male playing fraternity could learn from.

Marc Roseblade is a contributor for Bleacher Report and Not Just Scottish Football. He works as PR for Ayr United Football Academy and Galveston Pirate Soccer Club. Marc’s main passions revolve around lower league, youth and women's football. You can follow Marc on Twitter @myscottishfitba

Scotland's under 17's side took to the field at a unseasonably sun baked Cappielow Park in Greenock knowing nothing less than a victory against Denmark would suffice in their quest to march on to the European Championships proper.

As the ultimate match in a series of three, both Scotland and Denmark knew going into this match that even a victory wouldn't be enough to progress should Iceland win by enough goals in the other match going on in the group 6 elite round of matches.

With the sun splitting the sky—a weather pattern normally unseen by both countries involved—both sides started the match at an electric pace with the ball moving freely from end to end in a show of passing, technique and speed.

The Scots almost gifted the Danes an early goal after a defensive slip but fortunately for the home side, the resultant a shot flew wide of the goalposts much to the relief of the defender involved.

Halfway through the first half, the Scots had a pretty good shout for a penalty but the referee decided against it much to the displeasure of the boys in navy blue. A few moments later, Scotland had another chance to open the scoring when Fraser Aird found himself one on one with his opposite marker but instead of playing in any one of three attacker players, decided to try his luck from 18 yards that was easily saved by Hagelskjaer in the Denmark goal.

This mistake was soon to be punished by the impressive looking Scandinavian side as their big powerful No. 10, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, found himself some space outside the box before striking home with a dipping shot that Crump in the Scottish goal could only tip into the roof of the net.

The goal sent the visitors into raptures as the lead meant they would progress if things at this stage of the game stayed the same.

Scotland's response was immediate though when Lewis Kidd found himself  in the right place at the right time.

After picking up a stray shot on goal by a fellow player, he found himself in acres of space and unmarked he fired into the far bottom corner to equalize the scoreline at 1-1.

Both sides had a couple of half chances to add to the goal tally before the break but they ended the half all square without any further goals.

The scoreline in the other group 6 match saw Iceland leading 2-0, which meant that should Scotland win this match, they would not progress. Denmark on the other hand could still top the group but needed to score more goals than Iceland managed against Lithuania.

This proved to be their incentive as they took to the field for the second half as they dominated the proceedings from the outset.

Hojbjerg and Jensen were proving to be a real handful for the Scottish defence as time after time, they twisted and turned and unleashed powerful strikes goal bound which was to eventually pay dividends for the players in their traditional red and white.

Twenty-two minutes into the second half, Svenn Crone found himself on the end of a ball that had been swept over the top of the defenders, and he watched as his deflected shot bury itself in the top of the net to once again give his side the lead.

The Scots had been chasing the game for long periods of time but had never given up hope of overcoming their viking foes and once again came back fighting with another equalizer only minutes after their counterparts had taken the lead.

Stuart Findlay played a nice ball into Kidd who saw his well driven shot saved by Fraser Aird was on hand to pick up the rebound to bury it home to make the score 2-2.

It was really end to end stuff at this point and could have ended nine each had chances been taken, but it was to be a truly exceptional strike that was to win the match for the Danes when the nippy Jensen managed to skip his way in from the left wing past three defenders, before firing low across the goal and into the right hand side of the goal giving his side the lead yet again with only seven minutes remaining on the clock.

The ball was being booted from end to end for the remainder of the game with both sides looking for a route one option to adding another goal before the end but time ran out on both teams to add any more and the game ended in victory for the Danish side.

It wasn't enough for the young side to progress as Iceland had defeated Lithuania by four goals to nil and the distraught Danes were in tears at the recognition that despite remaining undefeated in this elite group, they wouldn't be playing in the championships in May.

Afterward, Scotland boss Ricky Sbragia said: "They were the better team today-the better footballing team. Despite losing we were happy with what we done today. We were poor on Thursday night against Iceland but and to improve as a team, we want to be playing against good teams like Denmark and Iceland."

The Scots may not have progressed, but the future of Scottish football looks in good hands with the coaching staff and players that are coming through the ranks.

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report and NotJustScottishFootball. His soccer roles include working as PR for Ayr United Football Academy & Galveston Pirate Soccer Club who play in the NPSL in Texas, USA. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

Scots Defeated by Danes but Icelanders Progress in Under 17 Euro Championships

Scotland under 17s got away to a tremendous start in their first match in the elite round of the European Championships at Somerset Park in Ayr on Tuesday.

In the round-robin series of matches that will take place over the next few days on the west coast of Scotland, only the team that tops the group will progress to Serbia in May for the UEFA Championships.

With Denmark, Iceland and Lithuania standing between Scotland and the prestigious competition, it was essential the home side got themselves off to the best possible start.

The first 35 minutes were dominated by the Scottish youngsters with some excellent inter-passing play running the Lithuanian players ragged, with the visitors finding it difficult to break out of their own half at times.

Scotland had early chances for Telfer and Smith, with both boys seeing their chances swing high. But the omens were good as the Scots pushed forward.

Scotland players were playing passing triangles normally unseen on a Scottish football park. But Sibbald, Feruz and Telfer were linking up well. And with crosses being pinged in with stunning regularity, it appeared it would only be a matter of time before the net would bulge with the home sides' opening goal.

Chelsea's Islam Feruz was making a nuisance of himself at every turn and seemed to be at the centre of every move. But even with the trickery the player was exhibiting, he was still unable to help break the deadlock.

Between Feruz and Sibbald up front for the Scots, they continually managed to free themselves from their markers to fire attempts on goal. Sibbald was on for 17 minutes, Feruz for 18, but neither managed to hit the target.

Even Lithuania appeared to be in the mood to help its hosts open the scoring. Feruz picked up a loose defensive ball outside the box, but again he fired high. Holding his head in his hands, he knew he should have done better with the gifted chance handed him.

It was encouraging for the Scots but also frustrating to see as many opportunities in front of goal being squandered.

It took until the 29th minute for the visitors to manage an attempt on goal, but Ryan Crump in the Scottish goal was equal to it despite having been a spectator until this point.

As the half edged on, the Lithuanians started to get a grip of the ball a bit more and were the better side as the first period came to an end.

Their No. 11 Petravicius was by far their best player. And on his magnificently struck free kick from 35 yards out, keeper Crump had to be at his best in order to keep the ball from the net.

It was a magnificent strike and completely unexpected from all the 450 spectators. It stung the keeper's hands and gave stark warning that there were two teams still in the mix.

Right before the halftime whistle, Scotland captain Stuart Urqhuart made a tremendous saving tackle in the box after Petravicius managed to twist and turn his way past three defenders before readying the trigger only to have Urqhuart step in to clear the danger.

The second half started much the same as the first had finished with Lithuania in control. When a cross that was fired in on the 13th minute of the second period by the visitors deflected wildly, there was a collective sign of relief by the home fans when the ball whizzed out of play and away from goal. It was a sliced deflection that could have gone anywhere. But in this instance, the danger was cleared.

The yellow and green-shirted visitors were starting to get some width into their game and managed to fire a few high crossed balls into the box, but the Scots defence were coping amicably and clearing the danger at every turn, showing a maturity and reading of the game way beyond their years.

Scotland almost got a lucky break when an innocuous cross toward the far post looked like it was drifting well wide. But strangely, when no one was near him, the Lithuanian keeper Suvaizdis conspired to try to palm the ball into his own goal. Fortunately for him, the ball went past the post and out for a corner.

The ball was being played end to end with both sides having an equal number of chances in front of goal. At  this time, the game could have gone either way. However, with 15 minutes remaining, Stuart Findlay rose above the Lithuanian defence to head home the opener much to the delight of most of the fans within Somerset Park; none more so than his screaming mother whose squeals of delight would have shattered glass.

The Lithuanians stepped up the pace after this goal, realizing that time was running out to grab something from this match. As these sands of time quickly disappeared, the long ball was being resorted to by the visitors, whilst the home side started playing keep ball, mainly in the corners of their opponent's goal areas.

The game didn't produce any more chances and after three minutes of added play, the final whistle sounded and the three points stayed with the Scotland side, giving the team a brilliant start to the three-game tournament.

Afterward, I grabbed Scotland coach Ricky Sbragia for a few words.
"We dominated the first half-hour" said Sbragia, "But Lithuania pulled themselves back in and were in control at the end of the first and at the beginning of the second.

"Some of our players were tiring in the second half, and the substitutions we made seemed to give us a boost, which ultimately led to the goal. It's a great win for us, and in light of the 2-2 draw between Denmark and Iceland tonight, it's an ideal start to the group matches.

"The players will have a restful day on Wednesday. We won't be changing our style going into the game on Thursday. The players played well tonight and created a lot of chances in front of goal. The defence was strong and the keeper had long periods without anything to do, so we are happy to continue in that vein."

Sbragia finished off by saying: "We need to play at Somerset Park more often. We have never been beaten."

Scotland's next match is Thursday against Iceland at Dumbarton Football stadium.

The other group match between Lithuania and Denmark takes place Thursay at Somerset Park in Ayr.

A win for Scotland and a draw between Denmark and Lithuania would end the group as a competition with Scotland uncatchable with six points. But let's not get carried away. We can always dream, though.

Roll on Thursday.

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report and NotJustScottishFootball. He also works as PR for Ayr United Football Academy and Galveston Pirate Soccer Club, who play in the NPSL in Texas, USA. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

Despite being knocked out the Scottish Cup at the quarter final stage for the second year running, Ayr United's under-19 side have proved consistency at this level will win them the plaudits.

To reach this stage of the competition for the past couple of years when it had never been achieved before in the club's history must be a step in the right direction for the Academy.  It shows it can produce the players capable of competing with the best that's on offer in Scotland at this level.

With one player recently signed from Glasgow Rangers and another fresh off the back of a call up to the Scotland International under 17 camp, things are looking rosy for the Ayrshire Academy.

This quarter final pitched Ayr against South of Scotland side Queen of the South whom Ayr had defeated on the road to the same stage last season so it could have been the Dumfries club were looking for some revenge.

With a semifinal spot beckoning for both teams, it was always going to be a hard fought affair that swung from end to end.

With a last minute change of venue from QoS Palmerston Park to Gretna FC's Raydale Park, it set itself up as being a real ding dong battle on the surface at a cold and damp turf.

With Ayr playing in their changed shirts of yellow and black, they set upon their Southern rivals like a bunch of hornets and it didn't take long for the game to get juicy.

Speedy and jinky Roddy Paterson was pulled down near the edge of the box after only five minutes when clean through on goal, but the referee deemed the offence as only yellow cardable. Had this not been a youth match, many would have expected a red to be shown, but the Ayr side's intention was clear for all to see.

From the resultant free kick, Scotland call up Mark Shankland pulled the trigger on a spectacular free kick that flew into the right hand side of the goal, giving his side the lead in the early stages and much to the delight of his watching parents.

Youngster Mark has spent some time away from Ayr recently, with trials at Liverpool and more recently Burnley, but all this attention hasn't altered the players willingness to fight and scrap for the cause and also his ability to fire in plenty of goals, keeps him grounded as the rest of his Ayr United teammates.

Ayr went close only four minutes later when Shankland rose above the defence to meet a corner with his head, only to see his effort rebound from the bar. Paterson picked the ball up near the byline but couldn't angle his shot accutely enough to squeeze it in.

The two players link up play had been exceptional to this point. They are both fast, comfortable on the ball and know each others style of play;It's no wonder they scored over 50 goals between them last season and are currently seen as the next big things to come out of the Academy attacking setup.

As we all know in soccer, we sometimes come to rue the missed opportunities presented to us in games and this was pushed through to us all as Queen of the South dragged themselves back into the match with a simply outstanding free kick that eclipsed Shanklands earlier goal.

From all of 30 yards out from the Ayr goal, Queens player Patrick Slattery fired in a thunderbolt of a shot that screamed past everyone and bulged the left hand side of the goal net via the post. The shot left the Ayr keeper McLatchie no chance of reaching;indeed two keepers couldn't have saved the strike it was hit with such venom.

The match was evenly poised as it progressed from this and chances although abundant at either end, both sides seemed to be missing that killer final touch that had been shown with the two pinpoint free kicks that had been so accurate in the early stages of this match.

Ayr were pushing and seemed to be getting themselves back on top of the game as the first period of play continued. With chances for Paterson, Shankland and Hutchison all going agonising close, it appeared that it would be a matter of time before they added another goal.

Queen of the South are no mugs though and hit on the break nearly beating the keeper with a 20 yard dipping effort that needed to be tipped over the bar to keep the game level.

Shanklands pace and trickery was causing the Queens defenders problems and his skill outwitted his marking defender 30 yards out only to be hacked at from behind, earning the home side their second yellow of the game and Shankland a couple of sore achilles.

A moment of controversy occurred on the 35th minute when the referee pointed to the after the home side swung in a corner and a seemingly innocuous off the ball collision resulted in the man in black giving a spot kick to the Dunfries side. After a few moments of bewilderment from the Ayr defender,he was cautioned for his part in the incident and stepped away from the box to allow his counterparts the chance to take the lead.

Justice appeared to have been done when McLatchie in the Ayr goal dived to save what was a strongly hit spot kick, although not angled very well. 

The penalty looked harsh as it appeared from nothing but the referee saw something when awarding but no harm done thanks to the save.

Before the half ran out, Ayr again pushed for the leading goal, firstly with a Paterson-Kelly-Shankland link up that saw the ball drift wide of the left post and the final chance of the half fell to Kelly from a corner but he watched as his effort fly over the bar.

It was an entertaining first half that could have ended 4-4 had chances and shots been on target but 1-1 at this point was a fair enough result.

The second half began with the Queens on the ascendancy and it wasn't long before a small period of pressure told on the visiting side as they failed to clear their lines in their own 6 yard box.

After two shots on target, Slattery picked up the ball from a failed goal-line clearance attempt in the Ayr defence to knock home from only two yards out. This goal was the total opposite from his earlier goal for his side but the young player did not care how he scored, it was just that he scored.

It was a disastrous start to the second half for the Ayr side and they looked momentarily shell shocked at being behind in this match and but for tremendous diving save by the Ayr goalie,they would have went a further goal behind from a shot from 10 yards out. 

Ayr made a couple of subs on the 60 minute mark, bringing on some fresh legs on a heavy damp pitch. This change however forced QoS into a formation change that seemed to suit their style of play better.

Despite this alteration to the formation, Ayr continued to look for the equalizer at every opportunity but were finding it hard to break down a stubborn midfield and defence in order to make the breakthrough required.

Darren McGill was next to try his hand for Ayr after receiving a cut back from Shankland on the goal line, but his daisycutting shot was stopped by the Queens keeper.

With most of the players moving forward in search of the all important goal, Ayr were leaving gaps in their rearguard and were nearly caught cold when the Queens broke forward, rounded the keeper and with a gaping net, the striker somehow managed to place it in the side netting much to the relief of the Ayr coaching staff.

With 10 minutes remaining, time was running out for the visiting side to equalize; Flip side of that coin meant that Queen of the South were only 10 minutes away from a semifinal berth so defensive lines were shored up and attacking options were limited.

Ayr did have another couple of chances as time faded but they just couldn't get the ball over the line for the goal.

The match finished without further incident and it was the boys in blue and white that celebrated victory and that elusive final four spot in the Scottish Cup.

Queen of the South move into the draw along with current holders Celtic, Dundee United and Hamilton.

For Ayr, it might have been a loss on the day but a look at the big picture shows a great future for many of the young players.

Afterwards Ayr coach Tom Robertson said:"The victory was there for the taking but we just couldn't score any more goals. We are all disappointed in the result but the boys played out their skin. It was just one of those days where the ball wouldn't go in the back of the net."

Marc Roseblade is a contributor for Bleacher Report and youth development press officer for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are first hand unless otherwise stated.