Jack Hendry’s Scotland career may not go on to set many records, but as of last night he is the holder of at least one.
For three different clubs is he the first player ever to represent them in a Scotland side: no other man in history can make such a claim.
Now on the books of Cremonese after stops at Oostende and Brugge, Hendry is indicative of a shift in attitudes among our country’s professional footballers. These are locations Scots players of times past would barely even have considered going on holiday, let alone to live and work.
As the world becomes smaller, and young players more willing to step outside their comfort zone, Scotland’s players are increasingly collecting broader and richer experiences than their predecessors.
That can only be of benefit to the national team when it crosses paths with opponents drawn together from all across the globe.
Though clearly far from the worst, the names do not jump off the teamsheet as constituting the best Scotland side of the century. But the evidence continues to suggest that’s exactly what it is, and that its members arrive excellently prepared by their constant exposure to high-class domestic competition must be a factor.
With Hendry in Serie A and eight other starters playing in the English Premiership, Steve Clarke is not having to scratch around for players like his direct forebears.
For all that, it required the introduction of one from a lower division to put the points away. As Southampton pair Stuart Armstrong and Che Adams squandered a series of glorious chances, trusty Lyndon Dykes stuck his head above the parapet to show them how it’s done.
A cosmopolitan side with a prosaic finishing touch: this Scotland side is covering a lot of miles, and plenty of bases too.
Conversation