Fletcher took penalty to protect ‘gallus lads’

Darren Fletcher had to fend off an attempt by Barry Bannan to wrestle the ball from him as he prepared to take his penalty in the 1-0 win over Lithuania on Tuesday night. David Goodwillie, another making his first Hampden start, was also eager to try his luck from the spot but both were brushed off by the captain, who then saw his effort saved by the Lithuanian goalkeeper Zydrunas Karcemarskas.

Fletcher’s determination to take responsibility was a mark of the man, but, according to the skipper, his young team-mates’ willingness to place themselves in such a high-pressure situation also said everything about them. Manager Craig Levein afterwards described Bannan and Goodwillie as a pair of “gallus lads” and Fletcher has confirmed that this is the case.

“He [Bannan] is just a cheeky chappie,” said Fletcher. “It doesn’t matter if he’s just new to the squad, he’ll have a fly comment at you and Goodie will be laughing. They are great lads to have around because they make everybody feel young and we are always laughing at them.”

“He [Bannan] and Goodie were trying to grab the ball off me at the penalty,” recalled Fletcher, whose miss did not prove critical for the Scots, with Steven Naismith scoring what proved to be the winner shortly after half-time following an assist from Bannan. “But I just felt that being a bit more experienced and being the captain, I should step up and take the penalty.

“They are just young lads and I felt that if they had missed there would have been a lot of pressure on them. For me to miss it, which I did, I felt I could deal with anything that came my way after it, whereas the young lads should just concentrate on their first few games and getting into the team.”

Fletcher paid tribute to both Goodwillie and Bannan, who left the field to a rousing reception from the Tartan Army when he was substituted after 83 minutes. “I knew they were ready,” said Fletcher. “I saw in training they were ready to play and they proved that. Goodie was fantastic and Barry was man of the match.

“He [Bannan] got on the ball and made things happen. We knew he could do that. He’s got a great appetite for the game – both of them have so much enthusiasm. Their performances were brilliant.”

As well as being an infectious character in the dressing room, Bannan showed himself to be equipped for the task of being Scotland’s creative outlet. “He just wants the ball,” said Fletcher. “He loves playing football and just wants to get on the ball and make things happen.

“He is small but his first touch is so good that he puts himself in a position where he is not fighting with defenders. His movement and awareness is so good that he is not in any battles. He picks up great positions, he plays great passes and he makes things happen.

“Even when he tries that killer pass and it doesn’t come off, his head doesn’t go down and we tell him to keep trying because he could ultimately get or create the winner for us – and that’s what happened.”

Fletcher expressed the hope that the 21-year-old does not alter the way he plays as he aims to make the breakthrough and become a regular for Aston Villa and Scotland. “We’ve got players who can do the other side of the game – work and close people down,” said Fletcher. “He does do that but he’s the one who can give us that creativity and something different. You need people like that in the team.”