Strachan praises Scotland spirit

Scotland boss Gordon Strachan praised the effort and “spirit” of his side after watching them edge to a 1-0 win over Denmark at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

An early goal from Matt Ritchie made possible by Daniel Agger’s error was enough to hand Strachan’s men a second consecutive 1-0 victory, although he admits his side were perhaps a little fortunate to come away with the victory, adding that he already has a better idea on how to improve his squad.

“It was like a heavyweight versus a middleweight, but our spirit kept us in it,” he told the BBC.

“What have I learned? Players need to be playing regularly. Only Alan Hutton has bucked that trend.”

The former Celtic boss was particularly impressed by 18-year-old debutant Kieran Tierney, who put in a solid performance at left-back to keep the visitors at bay.

A man-of-the-match performance from fellow debutant John McGinnn, along with a first international appearance from the bench from Nottingham Forest’s Oliver Burke, gave Strachan plenty to ponder and he insists the door is always open to any player that reaches a high enough standard.

He added: “We take the fittest, the strongest, the best to the next squad. We’ll definitely get better.”

The result will be a welcome boost for Scotland, who continue their momentum ahead of trips to France and Italy in May before beginning their World Cup Qualifying campaign away to Malta in September.