| The former Arbroath man feels that, while the performance against Moldova at Hampden was anything but flawless, the 2-0 win was a huge boost to morale.
“Winning football matches is all about giving you confidence. Beating Moldova has done that and we will be looking to build on this,” said the Hearts stopper.
“Now we can go to Belarus and look for the win we need. It is going to be very difficult, but it usually is to win matches in international football.
“Winning is a habit, though, and, now we have started, we want to continue. We got praise for the way we played in Italy, but we lost and I think we can take more from beating Moldova — you always do from games you win.”
Keeping only their second clean sheet of the campaign was also a big plus for the Scots as they prepare to face a side who are ranked around 20 places above them by FIFA and who have been strongly tipped to finish second to the Italians in Group 5.
“It is good for the defence and the goalie not to concede, but the team as a whole works hard to keep a clean sheet and, when you get one, everyone can be pleased.
“We will have to defend well on Wednesday and, if we do, we are in with a chance.”
Meanwhile, another member of the Tayside contingent in the squad, goal hero Christian Dailly, has admitted boss Walter Smith has already impressed his team with the way he goes about his business.
After repeated criticism at the lack of organisation under Smith’s predecessor Berti Vogts, Dailly has reported a well-run set-up.
“The tempo and pace of training is probably higher than under any Scotland manager I’ve worked with, and we all know exactly what our jobs are when we go on the park.
“After a very hard season for me, I was delighted to get a goal against Moldova, but I was just as pleased for the team and now we have a mini-platform to build on.”
Missing from the squad that flew to Minsk today were Paul Hartley, because of suspension, and injured Jackie McNamara, whose back injury in the opening minutes on Saturday led to Dailly’s introduction. |
