Playing in front of a packed house at Hampden Park is something Craig Gordon has not been able to do for a long time.
Not since the halcyon days of Scotland trying to qualify for Euro 2008, when the old stadium played host to some pivotal, memorable fixtures, has the national team had the ground full for an important game.
Granted, a global pandemic has been in the way, which prevented the Tartan Army backing Scotland to the rafters during the summer’s European Championships.
But when Gordon and Scotland walk out tonight against Israel, with three points affording them a big step towards a play-off place, they will feel that backing once more.
“We’ve not had that opportunity on that many occasions, a big game, a full house, so we really want to go for it,” said Gordon.
“I’m sure the fans will help us go on and get a good result. My favourite Hampden games were probably France and Ukraine, the two biggest results we got. There would be many more if I sat and thought about it for longer.
“But those two, in that group where we got so many results, stand out. We beat France twice, beat Ukraine at home as well.
“I remember James McFadden scored a great goal against Ukraine, Lee McCulloch got one from a set-piece that was something we worked on, it all came together. It was a great atmosphere that day, a huge result that put us in a great position.
“We didn’t take that opportunity. But we have that chance again, all these years later – at the business end of a group and in with a great chance.”
Scotland players have repeatedly said ending their two-decade wait for a major tournament appearance was not the be-all and end-all. They wanted more.
Of that fateful qualifying campaign under Alex McLeish, the memory of playing Italy at the sharp end of things still stands out for Gordon.
“Yeah, we were close that year, the final game of that campaign. Going into that, we still had the opportunity to qualify,” he added.
“This is similar, even though we’ve got a few games still to go. It does feel like a pivotal moment in the group, so we have to focus on getting the result.
“That Italy game did feel like a missed opportunity. Given the quality of opponents we had in that group, we probably didn’t expect to get as far as we did.
“But we got some great results. Unfortunately we also chucked in a few disappointing ones. It lead to that must-win game against Italy right at the very end.
“There was definitely a disappointment from that group that still remains, because we could have done something very special with that group of players. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that.”
The prize awaiting Scotland should they finish second in their qualifying group is a chance at going to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Hearts stopper Gordon is the most experienced player in the Scotland squad and would love to keep that record going until the tournament itself.
“I’ll be 39 in a couple of months and nearly 40 by the time the World Cup comes around,” said Gordon.
“I would love to be one of the oldest players in that tournament, having been one of the oldest in any squad – top three, I think – at the Euros. That’s fine by me. I don’t mind. I’ll take that, as long as we can be involved.
“Yes, it has been done before and can be done again. I just need to concentrate on my training and make sure I am doing as much as I can off the pitch to put myself in the best possible shape to keep playing. That is what I will continue to do.
“At some point it will catch up on me but hopefully not quite yet.”