Chris Maguire knows victory can prolong his U21 career

Maguire will earn his tenth cap for Billy Stark's side but it will be his last unless the Scots prevail and progress to the European Championship finals next summer.

Depressingly, Scotland haven't achieved that since 1996, when the team included a fresh-faced Steven Pressley, Christian Dailly, Simon Donnelly and Jackie McNamara. Maguire, though, is determined to rectify that and simultaneously prolong his international career.

"This is my last season with the Under-21s so getting to Denmark would be the way to go out on a high," said Maguire, who scored in the 1-1 draw with Belarus on Friday. "There's a good spirit and everyone feels we can get there. It's going to feel a bit different for me as usually I'm travelling down the road to play for Scotland at another SPL ground. Hopefully, we'll get a good turnout."

Hibernian left-back Paul Hanlon is also playing regularly for his club and intent on helping to dispel the doom and gloom which has engulfed our game following embarrassing results at club and international level this season.

"We need to go out and do our jobs, get the right result and then, hopefully, that lifts the game," Hanlon said. "That is where all the hard work is, at our level and at a levels younger than ourselves. If you can put in the hard work then and learn the basics of the game then that will stand you in good stead for stepping up to the 21s and hopefully on to the full squad."

Jim Fleeting, the SFA's head of football development, believes that the lack of cynicism and, more importantly, fear, can help this team prevail.

"These are young men who are boisterous and want to succeed. It's that wee bubble you are in as a teenager moving into your early 20s. Some of them are quite gallus, which I like. Sometimes in the past we've thought we just need to go out there and win a game but I don't see that with any of this group. The fact some of our guys have been called into the senior squad, like Garry Kenneth and Steven Fletcher, is good. It shows that there's a stepping stone for them. If they can keep the positivity they've got it can only be a good thing."

Fleeting is in no doubt that taking all three points on Tuesday is essential. "We've got to beat Austria, simple as that," he said. "Otherwise, if it goes to a head-to-head with them then they would win it because they've already got a victory against us so there's pressure on us to make sure we win.

"The best thing about the game over there, though, was that we competed so well against them on their own pitch. I've definitely seen them mature. That's to do with more first team games for young players throughout the UK.

"It would be nice to be involved in a championship in Denmark next year but the point is we are trying to develop these young guys into better players than they are at present."