Former Scotland striker Billy Dodds believes controlling the nerves among the players will be key to the national team’s hopes of qualifying for next summer’s European Championship finals.
The Scots are in Serbia for their play-off final knowing victory will end the nation’s 22-year absence from the finals of a major tournament.
Dodds has been involved in a play-off final before, having represented Scotland in the Euro 2000 play-off final against England.
He believes Scotland’s hopes of qualifying tonight in Serbia rest on their ability to maintain their composure.
He said: “There’s nothing wrong with having pre-match nerves, but you cannot let it take over. If you become too uptight it can drain your energy to the point where you are flat on the pitch when it matters.
“I think of it as being like a racehorse. If you are too revved up before the gate opens you will lose all your energy before you reach the finish line.”
Dodds knows from experience of the second leg against England at Wembley 21 years ago how important maintaining focus will be.
Craig Brown’s trailed the Auld Enemy 2-0 following the first leg result at Hampden and were given little chance of overturning the deficit but an excellent display in the return leg at Wembley saw Scotland win 1-0 and push England to the limit.
Dodds said: “It’s funny, I didn’t get nervous. Maybe a little in my younger days, but with experience came a sense of focus. Even when we played England at Wembley in the second leg of the play-off, I didn’t feel nervous. I don’t think any of the boys were.
“Craig was brilliant. We felt we had played well against England, despite losing the first leg 2-0 at Hampden and Craig made sure everyone was focused on what we had to do.
“Everything we did was geared to getting the first goal. We knew if England got it then it would be game over for us but if we got it that it would be game on and that’s what happened.”
The home side are favourites to win tonight’s final in Belgrade, but Dodds believes Steve Clarke’s side will be in confident mood ahead of their crucial game.
The 51-year-old former Dundee, St Johnstone, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Rangers striker points to the recent form of the national team and the absence of home supporters in Serbia as cause for optimism.
He said: “We’ve been better than just keeping it tight and hoping to nick a goal. At the beginning of the eight-game unbeaten run I was a little worried as we didn’t really play well and guys like Scott McTominay didn’t look comfortable at the back.
“But he has looked stronger with each passing game as he has grown used to playing in that position. I think all the boys in the squad are showing more confidence and so they should. They’ve done well to build momentum.
“Steve has a big decision to make in terms of what his back five, six if you include the goalkeeper, will be. The last thing he will want to do is make three or four changes in there after seeing the defence keep clean sheets against the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“Playing in an empty stadium is another good thing as far as Scotland are concerned. The Serbian supporters are passionate and volatile, and it would have been an even bigger challenge to go over there for a game like this knowing what the reception would be.
“Now it’s just the game, a massive one at that, but one which we should be approaching with confidence due to our results this year.”
