Scotland U21 1-0 Belarus U21: Murphy has final say for young Scots

Published on Saturday 10 October 2009 19:43

IT WAS sweetly novel to watch a Scotland side leave the field to acclaim for victory achieved with a last-gasp goal – a precious strike from substitute Jamie Murphy to place Billy Stark's U21 side joint-top of Group 10 that was deserved.

And acclaim less for perseverance, although that was to be found in space, and more for the patience and panache shown in its production. As the encounter remained scoreless well into the four minutes of added time, it looked like Scotland would be end their day cursing that they had pushed and pushed without opening the door.

Then Barry Bannan had the presence of mind to switch play from left flank to the right and find Chris Maguire, who smartly brought the ball under control and slipped it to Paul Caddis. With an intelligent, weighted pass down the channel, he in turn picked out Murphy, sent on as a fourth striker 23 minutes earlier. It was all controlled and classy, but even so it appeared the move might peter out when the Motherwell forward made a beeline for a non-existent space at the byline – only to drill the ball in from a seemingly impossible angle.

Scotland now share leadership of their section with Austria – late winners themselves over Azerbaijan yesterday – and Stark's side remain firmly in contention for a play-off berth. Their hopes will go on the line in Azerbaijan next month, but these U21s don't look as if they will come up short through any absence of belief.

Scotland gave the mainly youthful crowd of 4,011 cause to raise their voices throughout. It took them a good quarter of an hour to feel their way into an encounter against opponents who were athletic and willing but didn't seem as technically accomplished as their senior counterparts. In common with their hosts, though, what they could boast was six points from their Group 10 campaign ahead of yesterday. And crucially, this tally had come from only two games, the Scots' unfortunate loss to Austria last month halting the momentum supplied by two wins from their double header against Albania.

What engendered optimism in those successes was the threat posed by front two Chris Maguire and David Goodwillie. At St Mirren Park, they again formed a confident and problem-posing partnership. They forced chances that were more half than full but Aberdeen's Maguire did have the Belarussian keeper toiling with a stinging shot he could only grip at, saving at a second attempt. He and Dundee United's Goodwillie worked the Belarussian backs ceaseslessly and Maguire's willingness to run the channels allowed him to dink a ball inside that Kevin McDonald should have buried. Instead, he made contact with the wrong part of his cranium.

That was the second time McDonald looked the likely man. The Burnley player is something of a rarity in being a physically imposing Scottish midfielder. He used his stature to be a domineering force in the centre of the park, but in the penalty box he failed to prove a significant presence. A ball whipped in by Paul Caddis from the right just begged to be buried but he nodded an unconvincing header against an opponent. The deflection meant keeper Illia Haurylau had to react sharply to block but the initial header ought to have been placed beyond his reach. McDonald impressed, though, as did miniature midfielder Barry Bannan, the Aston Villa youngster full of tricks. In defence, meanwhile, there was much to recommend in the authority of Paul Hanlon, debutant Ross Perry and captain Caddis. They stood firm as Belarus produced a couple of knee-trembling shooting opportunities as the finish approached. Ultimately, though, it was Murphy who supplied the finish that mattered.

We've shown we're more than just fighters, says 'ecstatic' Scotland boss Stark

SCOTLAND Under-21 coach Billy Stark reflected on "as good a start as we could have hoped for" after Jamie Murphy's 93rd minute winner against Belarus made it three wins out of four for his team in their European Championship qualifying campaign.

That they conjured up a victory from an afternoon that seemed destined to see them held for a point at St Mirren Park meant, Stark said, he couldn't be anything other than "ecstatic". But the coach claimed he would have lavished praise on his players even if they had not found the net with a cleverly constructed goal. Their performance until that point had been an admirable mix of drive, discipline and dainty play – a combination that isn't usually associated with the Scottish national team.

"Countries come here knowing they'll be in a fight, that they'll come up against committed players," Stark said. "We never want to lose those qualities but don't want that to be it when it comes to what we are about. We want to be able to play, pass the ball and do the exciting bits of the game."

Despite great craft and graft from front two Chris Maguire and David Goodwillie – who will miss out on the trip to Azerbaijan next month after picking up one of four "bookings for nothing" that infuriated Stark – they didn't always manage that in the final third. They did so in the moment that mattered, though, with Murphy driving past his marker before driving the ball in from an acute angle when it seemed he had set himself on the road to nowhere with a late run.

"Jamie has a rare ability," the Scotland coach said. "He is wiry and deceptive and can seem to show the ball to his opponent but then get to the other side. He came on for 25 minutes and benefited from the work that had been done by our other strikers, who can wear players down. This campaign hasn't been all about the two strikers on the pitch. Chris came off the bench to score the penalty in Albania and Jamie scored as substitute in the home game against them."

Matchwinner Murphy could hardly contain himself after his latest goal for his country. "I can't put into words how I felt at the end there," he said. "It was unbelievable. The manager said I was unlucky not to start and if I did come on I had to take the chance. I think I've done that."

Scotland: Martin; Caddis, Perry, Hanlon, Mitchell; Gray (Murphy 67), McDonald, McGinn, Bannan; Maguire, Goodwillie (Loy 93). Subs not used: Gallacher, Easton, Wotherspoon, Fleck, Forbes.

Belarus: Haurylau; Veretilo, Filipenka, Karpovich, Matveichyk (Palitsevich 86); Sivakov, Bukatkin; Niakaichyk, Skavysh, Rekish (Varankov 65); Yurchenko (Astraukh 73). Subs not used: Hutar, Ryzhko, Rakhmanov, Kolotsei, Ostroukh.

Referee: Rusmir Mrkovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina ).