I watched Scotland beat North Macedonia and noted a disappointed mum, opinion divider and cash windfall
Three talking points from Scotland’s first win under Sebastien Pocognoli
Scotland claimed their first win under Sebastien Pocognoli at the third attempt while ending their four-match goal drought in a 2-0 victory over North Macedonia in Skopje.
A spectacular first senior international goal for Kieron Bowie after seven minutes ensured Scotland avoided the ignominy of setting a new all-time record without scoring, which would have arrived on the 26-minute mark.
A John McGinn penalty in the second half secured three points as Scotland finished the game with 10 men after Scott McKenna was red carded with seven minutes remaining for a crunching tackle.
The result leaves Scotland third in Nations League Group B1 on four points, five points adrift of leaders Switzerland and behind Slovenia, who visit Hampden on Tuesday, on goal difference.
Chief football writer Alan Pattullo picks out three talking points from the match:
McBurnie frustration
"Every dog has its day" seems an appropriate aphorism to dredge up given the canine pitch invader early in the North Macedonia v Scotland match. But will it be so for Oli McBurnie? Will the Hull City forward ever score that elusive first goal for Scotland? That’s now 19 appearances without a goal – it’s not exactly true to say games because he has rarely played the full 90 minutes. Against North Macedonia, he was given just the first half of the 2-0 win.
Although he showed plenty of endeavour, it just isn’t quite happening for him yet. He still retains the support of the crowd, who gave him an enthusiastic ovation when he came off – after an hour – against Switzerland having run himself into the ground. An early booking against North Macedonia perhaps helped make up Sebastien Pocognoli’s mind to replace him with Ryan Christie at the interval. Disappointing for the Hull City forward - and disappointing for his mum, who had travelled over for the game and was in with the away supporters. It wasn't immediately apparent why the manager withdrew him.
He had started to drop a little deeper - perhaps under Pocognoli's orders, perhaps not. It would have been interesting if he’d still been on the pitch when Scotland were awarded their penalty, or at least the one that stood, midway through the second half. Might he have been handed the ball and told to give it welly as he seeks to break that Scotland duck.
The fans wanted Andy Robertson to take it on the occasion of his 100th cap but the skipper explained later that the stakes were too high for such antics. It would have been less odd to see McBurnie, a forward after all, take it. He’s already ‘scored’ for Scotland – from the spot in the famous shootout win over Serbia to reach Euro 2020.
Gannon-Doak divides opinion
Has there been a Scotland player who divides opinion like Ben Gannon-Doak? Well, yes, probably plenty, including McBurnie. Tartan Army fans love to argue the toss about the merits and otherwise of Scotland players. But Gannon-Doak really does seem to have his ardent supporters and those who struggle to see what he brings to the team other than his obvious pace.
He was given the start he was clearly desperate for against North Macedonia. Did he make the most of his chance? Some say yes, others say no. Those in the latter camp claim he flattered to deceive once more and underlined what he’s missing – composure and a final ball.
At international level it’s not enough to say well, at least he gets us up the park. One cross from a good position was sliced behind the goal. He also shot against the keeper’s legs in the second half when John McGinn presented him with a good chance to score. For what it’s worth, I am in the ‘thought he did well’ camp. I am also in the 'consider his age' camp. Still just 20, he’s learning all the time from these experiences. The very real fear, however, is that he’s just not going to play enough at club level to hit the ground running at these international breaks. Pocognoli appears to be a fan. Whether he starts or not on Tuesday against Slovenia will be very interesting indeed.
Debut sparks windfall
It’s always particularly exciting to see a player you’ve watched develop over time make that step up to full international. Luke Graham was given the last ten minutes of Saturday night’s win in Skopje and didn’t look out of place in that admittedly brief period. As someone noted on Twitter, Dundee had a slack pass from a former Dundee United player in Andy Robertson to thank for a windfall that’s reportedly coming their way as part of the deal that took Graham to Stoke from Dens Park in the summer.
The deal was estimated to be worth around £2 million, with extra sums included if Graham reaches certain levels. One of those levels is winning a first cap. That was earned following Scott McKenna’s red card after the defender was put in an invidious position by a poor cross-field pass from Robertson. McKenna slid in and upended Elezi with all the elegance of a veteran playing in the Tennent’s Sixes. With the centre-half now suspended against Slovenia on Tuesday, maybe Graham might see more action. It’s already been a dizzying rise since he made his Premiership debut for Dundee against Dundee United just over two years ago. Three years ago this weekend he was playing for Montrose against Alloa and as recently as 2022 he was turning out for Lochee United, on loan from Dundee, in the rough and tumble world of the Juniors.
Indeed, it was a good day for denizens of Thomson Park, Lochee United’s home ground. As well as seeing a former player pull on the dark blue of Scotland, the home side scored three goals in the last ten minutes of their Scottish Cup first round win over Inverurie Loco Works to progress into the next round with a 3-2 win.
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