SCOTLAND Under-21 boss Billy Stark remained coy about his side's chances of reaching the UEFA Under-21 Championship play-offs despite seeing them move to within two points of top spot in qualifying Group 6.
Stark's men maintained their bid to reach next summer's finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Lithuania in Marijampole yesterday, their fourth straight competitive win after a poor start to the campaign.
A spectacular solo strike from Ross McC
ormack was sandwiched between goals from Scott Arfield and Kevin McDonald, lifting Scotland up to second in their group with two games left.
Finland lead the way, while third-placed Denmark are level on points with the Scots – who must either win the group or be one of the four best runners-up to qualify.
Stark said: "I can't say how far we'll go. Finland are in the driving seat at the moment."
The Finns and the Danes play each other next, with Scotland taking on the latter in their final group game. But they must first beat Slovenia at Falkirk on September 4 to make that match meaningful.
Stark said: "This was a game that gave us an opportunity to win against Slovenia at home and now we have a lot to play for because Denmark play Finland the next day."
Despite winning yesterday's game, Scotland could have easily returned from Lithuania with their finals dream in tatters after unwittingly breaching UEFA regulations.
The squad's flight was delayed at Gatwick on Tuesday, meaning they failed to adhere to the rule that states a visiting team must arrive in the host country at least 24 hours before kick-off.
Fortunately, neither UEFA nor their Lithuanian hosts were minded to seek a sanction that could have seen the visitors stripped of the three points gained.
On the field, Stark was pleased with the way his players overcame a lack of match sharpness, with the domestic season still in its infancy.
He said: "They haven't played that many competitive games together. Some of them only one or two."
The humid conditions were also alien to many of Stark's men, with the match played in 30 degree temperatures.
But the only real concern for the manager was the way his side struggled to deal with their opponents' set-pieces, with a few goalmouth scrambles getting Scottish hearts racing.
Stark observed: "Some people would say that you must go in and win the ball. But if you're against big boys and the deliveries are good then there's nothing you can do about that.
"We did really well to cope with the threat that they had.
"They are big boys and they had good delivery, so they are going to do that. They didn't get free headers and we kept them on their toes."
In open play, Scotland dominated proceedings, and Stark added: "We had a lot of possession and we won the game.
"I was delighted with the goals. We had good control in the game and great chances. You can't really ask for more than that."
The full article contains 517 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
