Scotland v Moldova
European Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2022 Hampden Park, Glasgow Saturday 4th September, 2021 | KO 7.45pm
European Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2022
Hampden Park, Glasgow
Saturday 4th September, 2021 | KO 7.45pm
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
© 2021 adidas AG
Scottish FA<br />
Hampden Park<br />
Glasgow<br />
G42 9AY<br />
0141 616 6000<br />
Scottish FA Online:<br />
e. info@scottishfa.co.uk<br />
w. www.scottishfa.co.uk<br />
Twitter. @<strong>Scotland</strong>NT<br />
Facebook.com/<br />
scotlandnationalteam<br />
OFFICE BEARERS:<br />
President<br />
Rod Petrie<br />
Chief executive<br />
Ian Maxwell<br />
Vice-president<br />
Mike Mulraney<br />
Programme produced on<br />
behalf of the Scottish FA by<br />
Ignition Sports Media<br />
ignitionsportsmedia.com<br />
Production: David Middleton<br />
Photography:<br />
SNS Pix, PA Images<br />
Commissioning Editor:<br />
Ronnie Esplin<br />
Managing Editor:<br />
Ross MacDonald-Allan<br />
Please note that the views<br />
expressed in this programme<br />
do not necessarily reflect<br />
those of the Scottish FA.<br />
The Scottish Football<br />
Association Limited is a<br />
private company limited<br />
by guarantee, registered in<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>, with its registered<br />
office at Hampden Park,<br />
Glasgow G42 9AY and<br />
company number SC005453.<br />
IN THIS ISSUE...<br />
04 / MANAGER’S NOTES<br />
Steve Clarke is happy to see<br />
so many <strong>Scotland</strong> fans back at<br />
Hampden Park<br />
06 / HAMPDEN REBOOT<br />
Scots look for positive return to<br />
the national stadium<br />
12 / HOME IS WHERE<br />
THE HEART IS<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> star gets ready for his<br />
delayed Hampden Park debut<br />
18 / WE’VE MET BEFORE<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> 2-0 <strong>Moldova</strong><br />
20 / MOLDING A<br />
BRIGHTER FUTURE<br />
Tonight’s visitors are showing<br />
signs of progress<br />
26 / MOLDOVA IN NUMBERS<br />
The facts and figures around<br />
tonight’s visitors<br />
28 / PREVIOUS MEETINGS<br />
Tonight’s opponents have only<br />
faced each other twice...<br />
34 / ON THIS DATE<br />
4 September, 2016;<br />
Malta 1-5 <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
36 / GROUND REGULATIONS<br />
38 / END OF THE LINE<br />
The first encounter with<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> spelled the end of<br />
the manager and goalscorer’s<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> careers<br />
44 / A SPECIAL ENVIRONMENT<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s top women<br />
players will get the chance to<br />
live the Hampden experience<br />
on a regular basis<br />
50 / PLAYER Q&A<br />
St Johnstone goalkeeper<br />
Zander Clark chuffed to get<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> recognition<br />
56 / LEARNING THROUGH<br />
FOOTBALL<br />
The recent Euro 2020 finals are<br />
having a major influence on<br />
education in <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
63 / NO WIN BUT PLENTY WINE<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> fan John Gold recalls an<br />
eventful trip to <strong>Moldova</strong><br />
MATCH OFFICIALS<br />
Referee:<br />
Lawrence Visser (BE)<br />
Assistant referee 1:<br />
Rien Vanyzere (BE)<br />
Assistant referee 2:<br />
Thibaud Nijssen (BE)<br />
4th official:<br />
Bram van Driessche (BE)<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 3
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 4
MANAGER’S WELCOME<br />
Good evening and welcome to Hampden Park.<br />
Just being able to write those words - to<br />
welcome fans back to the national stadium<br />
for a qualification match - after the past 18<br />
months feels like a tremendous step forward<br />
in the battle against the horrific disease that<br />
has caused so much pain across the world.<br />
It will be a special moment to hear the roar<br />
of the <strong>Scotland</strong> fans when we walk out the<br />
tunnel tonight and having you all back in<br />
person comes at a very important time for<br />
the team.<br />
After Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Denmark<br />
we now face a crucial two matches, starting<br />
tonight against <strong>Moldova</strong>.<br />
It came as no secret to us that Denmark<br />
are a top side - you only had to look at their<br />
performances at EURO 2020 to see that -<br />
but the first half on Wednesday night left us in<br />
no doubt as to why they are the top seeds in<br />
the group.<br />
The intensity and quality they showed at<br />
the start of the game made life difficult for<br />
us. Conceding two goals in quick succession<br />
made it a long night for us. We could, and<br />
should, have done better for both goals and<br />
we didn’t give ourselves a platform in the<br />
game. While we showed good character in<br />
the second half and we improved in the game<br />
it was a disappointing night.<br />
In what is shaping up to be an extremely<br />
tightly-fought battle for second place in this<br />
group, it is understandable that many will<br />
consider this triple header as a potentially<br />
defining period in our World Cup qualifying<br />
aspirations. For the players, coaching staff<br />
and I, we see tonight as an opportunity to take<br />
a stride towards securing that play-off spot.<br />
With Israel and Austria playing each other,<br />
second place is still very much achievable.<br />
We can certainly give ourselves a massive<br />
lift tonight with a win and with the <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
supporters behind us in numbers, we have<br />
something on our side that has been missing<br />
for a long time.<br />
We are also well aware that the entire world<br />
is still dealing with Covid. Over the course of<br />
the last week we have seen that with the way<br />
it has affected the squad and we have had to<br />
adapt to the challenges we have faced.<br />
However, it is important to put the issues that<br />
the team and I have faced with Covid into<br />
perspective. All across the world we are still<br />
seeing people suffering from this horrific virus.<br />
Many are in hospital on ventilators while many<br />
others are suffering the effects of long Covid.<br />
As we all prepare to be reunited at Hampden<br />
this evening, I want to again take this chance<br />
to urge all of you to stay safe and, of course,<br />
give us all of your support tonight as we<br />
set our sights on a place at another major<br />
tournament.<br />
The backing of so many <strong>Scotland</strong> fans in<br />
Hampden has been a long time coming. I hope<br />
you enjoy your return to the national stadium.<br />
Enjoy the game.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 5
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 6
› › ›<br />
HAMPDEN<br />
REBOOT<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> look for positive return to<br />
the national stadium<br />
WORDS: ALASDAIR LAMONT, BBC SCOTLAND<br />
› › ›<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 7
THE UK’S FIRST<br />
WI-FI<br />
Only BT’s hybrid broadband gives you an<br />
unbreakable home connection backed up by<br />
Why settle for anyone else?<br />
Search BT hybrid broadband.<br />
88% UK availability. 4G coverage and BT fibre required. 4G network connection takes up to 175 seconds. To verify visit BT.com/verifyhybrid
<strong>Scotland</strong> return to Hampden Park tonight for the first time since<br />
that deflating defeat by Croatia in June. Hopes of a place in the<br />
knockout stages at Euro 2020 ended on that summer’s evening at<br />
the hands - or, more accurately, feet - of a Luka Modric-inspired<br />
Vatreni. Nonetheless, Steve Clarke’s mantra since has been ‘let’s<br />
make tournament qualification a regular occurrence, not a once-in-ageneration<br />
achievement’.<br />
Prior to the Euros, of course, the<br />
Scots had already set about the<br />
task of getting to the next major<br />
tournament - Qatar 2022. That<br />
opening triple-header in March<br />
did not go entirely to plan.<br />
Popular wisdom will tell you that<br />
to have a chance of qualifying,<br />
either directly by winning the<br />
group or through a play-off as<br />
one of the ten runners-up, you<br />
have to win your home games<br />
and take points off your rivals on<br />
their territory.<br />
So an opening draw at Hampden<br />
Park against Austria followed by<br />
a Groundhog Day draw in Israel<br />
were far from ideal, although<br />
certainly <strong>Scotland</strong> showed<br />
character to come back in both<br />
games to earn a point from each.<br />
The 4-0 victory over the Faroes<br />
finished off that batch of games<br />
in positive, if expected, style<br />
and ensured we would travel to<br />
Copenhagen realistically needing<br />
something from the match to<br />
retain any expectations of being<br />
able to top Group F.<br />
At that point, no one could have<br />
foreseen the near-tragedy that<br />
was to befall the Danes at the<br />
Euros, when Christian Eriksen<br />
suffered a cardiac arrest on the<br />
pitch before thankfully surviving<br />
but any casual observer might<br />
have anticipated their highlyimpressive<br />
run to the semis given<br />
the way they began World Cup<br />
qualification - a 4-0 win in Vienna<br />
the stand-out result as they<br />
amassed nine points from nine,<br />
scoring 14 without reply.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 9
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 10<br />
It was against that backdrop<br />
Clarke’s depleted squad travelled<br />
to Copenhagen, still with a<br />
strong-looking starting XI but<br />
without some key performers<br />
such as John McGinn and<br />
Scott McTominay, or indeed a<br />
recognised right-back.<br />
It was always going to be difficult<br />
to bring anything home from<br />
the Parken stadium and the loss<br />
of two quick goals in the first<br />
half rendered that task all but<br />
impossible.<br />
The manager was frustrated by<br />
the manner in which those goals<br />
were conceded. “When you look<br />
at both goals we could’ve done<br />
better,” he admitted. “We didn’t<br />
give ourselves a platform in the<br />
game and it took us until 30<br />
minutes before we got a feel for it.<br />
By that time the game had gone<br />
beyond our reach.”<br />
There was a marked<br />
improvement in the second period<br />
but a comeback was beyond the<br />
Scots. Billy Gilmour again showed<br />
flashes of the quality his early<br />
international appearances have<br />
promised.<br />
And perhaps if Ryan Fraser’s effort<br />
had not been repelled by Denmark<br />
keeper Kasper Schmeichel, the<br />
visitors might have been able to<br />
muster a late rescue mission, but<br />
as it was they again found goals<br />
hard to come by.<br />
Expect changes to the team<br />
tonight, with John McGinn,<br />
Nathan Patterson and Stephen<br />
O’Donnell available again.<br />
There could also be a start for<br />
David Turnbull, who has had to<br />
wait patiently for a chance at<br />
international level, having been<br />
one of Celtic’s best performers<br />
over the past 14 months. With<br />
Patterson or O’Donnell’s addition,<br />
captain Andy Robertson will be<br />
able to resume his more natural<br />
left wing-back beat as he did<br />
in Wednesday’s second half.<br />
Returning Kevin Nisbet offers<br />
another striking option.<br />
Ultimately, it is difficult to escape<br />
the notion that we are now in<br />
an almighty scrap with Austria<br />
and Israel for second place and<br />
a play-off spot. And that means<br />
nothing less than three points will<br />
be acceptable against a <strong>Moldova</strong><br />
IF RYAN FRASER’S<br />
EFFORT HAD NOT<br />
BEEN REPELLED<br />
BY DENMARK<br />
KEEPER KASPER<br />
SCHMEICHEL, THE<br />
VISITORS MIGHT<br />
HAVE BEEN ABLE<br />
TO MUSTER A LATE<br />
RESCUE MISSION
side vying with the Faroes to<br />
avoid finishing bottom.<br />
As Clarke noted on Wednesday<br />
night: “When you lose there aren’t<br />
too many positives. We have to<br />
go away, recover well and get<br />
three points at Hampden on<br />
Saturday. You don’t have time<br />
to feel sorry for yourself. We’ll<br />
assess what happened and try to<br />
do better.”<br />
On the face of it, a win should be<br />
a formality. <strong>Moldova</strong>’s sole point<br />
so far in Group F came in their<br />
opening match at home to the<br />
Faroe Islands. They shipped eight<br />
goals in Copenhagen and four<br />
more at home to Israel.<br />
Then on Wednesday evening,<br />
they lost again, though this<br />
time it was a narrow home<br />
defeat to <strong>Scotland</strong>’s next<br />
opponent’s Austria. <strong>Moldova</strong>’s<br />
last competitive win of any sort<br />
was a 1-0 Euro 2020 qualifying<br />
victory over Andorra in June 2019,<br />
beating San Marino by the same<br />
scoreline in their most recent<br />
away win eight months earlier.<br />
It would be stretching things to<br />
identify any star players in their<br />
ranks, but Radu Ginsari is their<br />
playmaker and with seven goals<br />
is their top scorer too, albeit his<br />
last international strike came<br />
three years ago. Ginsari has<br />
played in Israel and Russia but<br />
is now back with Milsami Orhei<br />
in his homeland. Captain Artur<br />
Ionita is vastly experienced,<br />
playing for several years at<br />
Cagliari and now at Benevento in<br />
Italy’s Serie B.<br />
But this is a game <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
should and must win ahead of a<br />
trip to Vienna that will also have<br />
to yield something if Qatar 2022<br />
is to remain a realistic destination.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 11
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 12
HOME IS<br />
WHERE THE<br />
HEART IS<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> star gets ready for<br />
his delayed Hampden debut<br />
Billy Gilmour looks forward<br />
to hearing the Tartan Army<br />
in full voice as he gets<br />
ready to play for <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
at Hampden Park for the<br />
first time.<br />
So far the Norwich City midfielder,<br />
on loan from Chelsea, has won<br />
caps in matches in England,<br />
Luxembourg and Portugal with<br />
his most recent appearance<br />
coming on Wednesday night<br />
against Denmark in the<br />
2022 World Cup qualifier in<br />
Copenhagen.<br />
Following the loosening of<br />
Covid-19 restrictions in Denmark,<br />
almost 35,000 colourful and noisy<br />
home fans were in the Parken<br />
Stadium to cheer their heroes to<br />
victory over Steve Clarke’s side,<br />
making it 12 points from 12 as<br />
they motor on their way to Qatar<br />
next year.<br />
Travelling restrictions meant<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s traditionally huge<br />
away support was absent but<br />
the fans will be at Hampden Park<br />
in their thousands tonight for the<br />
visit of <strong>Moldova</strong>.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 13
An hour of Fun Football means more than just 60 minutes.<br />
Football seems to always be about the numbers.<br />
Shots on target. Possession stats. Successful dribbles.<br />
Tackles made. Offsides. Minutes played. The scoreline.<br />
While we’re thrilled to be celebrating hitting our target a<br />
year early, it’s never been just about the numbers. It’s always<br />
been about the kids and the enjoyment they get from our<br />
sessions. If there’s a smile on their faces, that’s a win for us.<br />
Here’s to plenty more hours of Fun Football!
Gilmour was due to start the<br />
2020 Euros Group D match<br />
against Croatia at the national<br />
stadium in June but tested<br />
positive for Covid-19.<br />
And after being impressed by<br />
the enthusiasm of the Danish<br />
fans on Wednesday night, he<br />
can’t wait to perform in front of<br />
a home support and believes<br />
they will help the Scots get the<br />
qualification campaign back to<br />
winning ways against a side<br />
who lost 2-0 away to Austria on<br />
Wednesday and who sit bottom<br />
of Group F.<br />
The 20-year-old said: “The main<br />
thing now is trying to take the<br />
positives out of the match and<br />
take them into the game at<br />
Hampden.<br />
“We know just how big a game<br />
it is and we have made sure we<br />
rested and got ourselves ready,<br />
both mentally and physically.<br />
“We’ll have the added boost of<br />
our fans being in Hampden in<br />
good numbers. I think the game<br />
with Denmark showed just<br />
how important the fans can be<br />
when they get behind their team<br />
like that, and we all know the<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> fans will give us that<br />
welcome and backing to try and<br />
help us over the line.<br />
“<strong>Moldova</strong> will be another difficult<br />
match. There are no easy games<br />
at this level and we don’t need<br />
to be reminded of that - we’ll be<br />
prepared and ready to go out<br />
there and give our all for three<br />
points.”<br />
Clarke’s squad, depleted for<br />
the trip to Copenhagen and still<br />
missing key players, have had to<br />
regroup following a difficult night<br />
to say the least against the Euro<br />
2020 semi-finalists.<br />
Kasper Hjulmand’s talented side<br />
were two goals ahead after only<br />
15 minutes through a powerful<br />
header from Daniel Wass and<br />
a well-worked goal by Joakim<br />
Maehle.<br />
It wasn’t really until the second<br />
half, after Clarke had rejigged his<br />
team at the interval, that <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
began to play with more purpose<br />
and belief.<br />
WE KNOW<br />
JUST HOW BIG<br />
A GAME IT IS<br />
AND WE HAVE<br />
MADE SURE<br />
WE RESTED<br />
AND GOT<br />
OURSELVES<br />
READY, BOTH<br />
MENTALLY AND<br />
PHYSICALLY<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 15
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 16
However, up against a confident<br />
side who have not lost a qualifier<br />
for a major tournament since<br />
2016, the deficit was too much to<br />
claw back.<br />
Gilmour, who came through the<br />
Rangers youth academy before<br />
his move to Chelsea in 2017,<br />
following his 16th birthday,<br />
revealed regret at such a slow<br />
and insipid start to the game.<br />
He said: “I felt we lacked that<br />
impetus in the first half to get on<br />
the ball and we sat off Denmark.<br />
In the second half we were a lot<br />
better and showed that impetus<br />
we were probably missing - it<br />
was a lot better than the first half.<br />
“We got at them more and tried<br />
hard to get ourselves back in<br />
the game. We played with an<br />
intensity we should have shown<br />
from the start. We need to work<br />
hard and help each other out on<br />
the pitch, not only against a top<br />
team like Denmark but in every<br />
game and we know we are<br />
capable of better than what we<br />
showed in the first half.”<br />
Gilmour established himself<br />
in Clarke’s squad in time for<br />
this summer’s Euros, the first<br />
tournament <strong>Scotland</strong> had<br />
qualified for since the 1998 World<br />
Cup.<br />
The Ayrshireman is not allowing<br />
himself to be satisfied with<br />
appearances at just one major<br />
finals though, even if it was a<br />
man-of-the-match performance<br />
against ‘Auld Enemy’ England in a<br />
goalless draw at Wembley - and<br />
has already consigned the Euros<br />
to the past, to be revisited only<br />
post-career.<br />
Despite the tricky start to the<br />
2022 World Cup qualifying<br />
campaign, where <strong>Scotland</strong> have<br />
five points from 12 after a victory<br />
over the Faroe Islands and draws<br />
at home to Austria and away to<br />
Israel, Gilmour is determined to<br />
help <strong>Scotland</strong> get to the finals in<br />
Qatar.<br />
He said: “Like every player in this<br />
squad, pulling on the <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
shirt is an incredibly proud feeling<br />
for me, so to be back representing<br />
my country after being a part of<br />
the Euros was special, it’s just<br />
disappointing that the result<br />
didn’t go our way on Wednesday.<br />
“We know that it can be easy<br />
to talk about the summer we<br />
had and being a part of a major<br />
tournament, but for all of us, our<br />
sole focus is on what lies ahead<br />
and giving everything we’ve got<br />
to try and qualify for the World<br />
Cup.”<br />
WE ALL KNOW<br />
THE SCOTLAND<br />
FANS WILL<br />
GIVE US THAT<br />
WELCOME AND<br />
BACKING TO<br />
TRY AND HELP<br />
US OVER THE<br />
LINE<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 17
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 18
WE’VE<br />
MET<br />
BEFORE<br />
SCOTLAND 2<br />
MOLDOVA 0<br />
WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS<br />
SATURDAY 4 JUNE, 2005<br />
TWO GOAL-SCORING<br />
SUBSTITUTES PROVED<br />
THE DIFFERENCE THE LAST<br />
TIME SCOTLAND FACED<br />
MOLDOVA IN A COMPETITIVE<br />
INTERNATIONAL 16 YEARS AGO.<br />
Walter Smith’s injury-ravaged<br />
squad managed to edge a<br />
nervous win in the only previous<br />
occasion the two nations have<br />
met at Hampden, as the Scots<br />
resurrected the nation’s World<br />
Cup qualification hopes that had<br />
seen them winless and in Group<br />
Five’s bottom two prior to kick-off.<br />
Yet West Ham United’s Christian<br />
Dailly capitalized on goalkeeper<br />
Evghenii Hmaruc spilling Lee<br />
McCulloch’s cross on 52 minutes<br />
for his first international goal in<br />
three years, before 74 th -minute<br />
replacement James McFadden<br />
fired home in the closing minute<br />
as an organised and disciplined<br />
performance won the day.<br />
Smith conceding post-match:<br />
“When players finish the season,<br />
these are hard matches to play.”<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 19
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 20<br />
MOLDING<br />
A BRIGHTER<br />
FUTURE<br />
Tonight’s visitors are showing<br />
signs of progress<br />
Words: Gordon Parks, Daily Record<br />
› › ›
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 21
EXCLUSIVE RETAIL PARTNER
<strong>Moldova</strong> head cocah<br />
Roberto Bordin is overseeing<br />
his nation’s forward strides<br />
THE NATIONAL<br />
TEAM IS THE<br />
BIGGEST SPORTS<br />
REFERENCE FOR<br />
EVERYONE. IT<br />
HAS THE TASK OF<br />
REPRESENTING<br />
THE WHOLE<br />
COUNTRY AND<br />
ALL ITS PEOPLE<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>n football is hoping to<br />
reap the rewards of a push for<br />
improvement which saw the<br />
construction of more than 340<br />
artificial mini-pitches.<br />
And national boss Roberto<br />
Bordin believes his arrival as<br />
head coach earlier this year has<br />
been timed to perfection for a<br />
country now starting to enjoy the<br />
fruits of that labour.<br />
It's been a slow burner for the<br />
former Soviet republic since the<br />
formation of their own football<br />
association in 1990 but their rise<br />
in credibility within European<br />
football has been led by FC<br />
Sheriff, who have qualified five<br />
times for the UEFA Europa<br />
League group stage.<br />
A 1-0 friendly win over<br />
Azerbaijan back in June was<br />
another indication of a nation<br />
making forward strides and<br />
Bordin insists on-field results will<br />
be the barometer for the health<br />
of the game under his reign.<br />
He said: "I am lucky to experience<br />
a historic moment in which<br />
the top management of the FA<br />
of <strong>Moldova</strong>, starting with the<br />
president Leonid Oleinicenco,<br />
develops a new era in local<br />
football. We must continue to<br />
work and invest, both in sports<br />
structures and in the training of<br />
athletes and coach education.<br />
I consider very important the<br />
support of the federation for the<br />
activity of the technical sector<br />
not only of the national team, but<br />
of each club. Certainly, the work<br />
will only lead to good results on<br />
the field.<br />
"I don't know when they will<br />
come but continuing like this,<br />
I hope to be able to give some<br />
satisfaction to the <strong>Moldova</strong>n fans<br />
soon."<br />
The 56-year-old made his name<br />
as a scheming midfielder for<br />
the likes of Napoli and Atalanta<br />
during a career spent in Serie A<br />
and his role now is to ensure his<br />
national side becomes a shining<br />
light which inspires a footballmad<br />
population.<br />
He said: “The national team is<br />
the biggest sports reference<br />
for everyone. It has the task of<br />
representing the whole country<br />
and all its people, even those<br />
who live abroad. Therefore, the<br />
responsibility is as great as the<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 23
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 24<br />
honour we have in guiding it.<br />
Personally, I will do my best every<br />
day to improve the results and<br />
the image of the national team of<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> and to contribute to the<br />
development of football in this<br />
extraordinary, growing country."<br />
That vision is shared by<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>n central defender Igor<br />
Armas, who insists the scoreline<br />
from Hampden tonight will help<br />
the national mood for a country<br />
not reared on making shock<br />
headlines.<br />
He said: "The people in our<br />
country love the national team<br />
a lot, even if our results are not<br />
the most gratifying, but when the<br />
national team plays, the stadium<br />
on normal days is full and<br />
everyone is waiting with all their<br />
heart that today the national<br />
team will get a good result.<br />
"We can certainly say that<br />
football is the number one sport<br />
in the Republic of <strong>Moldova</strong>,<br />
even if we have many good<br />
athletes who bring medals and<br />
participate in the Olympics,<br />
football arouses the greatest<br />
interest among citizens, as<br />
evidenced by the latest success<br />
of the Sheriff, as the first<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>n team qualified to the<br />
Champions League group stage."<br />
Sheriff's latest European<br />
adventure has landed them<br />
a Champions League group<br />
stage which has lined up the<br />
glamour of games against Real<br />
Madrid, Inter Milan and Shakhtar<br />
Donetsk.<br />
It's another example of the<br />
growing respect being earned for<br />
Molovan football, but 34-yearold<br />
Armas admits there is also<br />
a huge dose of reality when it<br />
comes to their ambitions for<br />
World Cup qualification.<br />
He said: "Of course, before the<br />
start of the qualifying campaign,<br />
each footballer, each fan has<br />
the dream and the desire to<br />
be at the top of the group. But<br />
unfortunately, now we cannot<br />
fight on an equal level with the<br />
teams in the group that aspire<br />
to qualify for a World Cup. Our<br />
Centre-back Igor Armas in<br />
action with France’s Antoine<br />
Griezmann during a Euro 2020<br />
Qualifier<br />
I LOVE MY JOB<br />
AND I DON'T<br />
THINK THIS<br />
CAN SURPRISE<br />
ANYONE. IT'S<br />
NORMAL FOR<br />
THOSE WHO DO<br />
THIS JOB
goal is to come out on the field<br />
with our heads held high at every<br />
match and our fans to be proud<br />
of our attitude and performance."<br />
Armas was a keen observer as<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> performed on the big<br />
stage during this summer's Euro<br />
2020 finals and he saw enough<br />
to be convinced the collective of<br />
Steve Clarke's side is stronger<br />
than any individuals.<br />
He said: "I don't have favourite<br />
players in the Scottish national<br />
team, but I watched the team's<br />
matches at the European<br />
Championship and I really liked<br />
how eager they were to play and<br />
how aggressive the players on<br />
the field are, that's something<br />
we need to do. We should play<br />
with such desire as the Scottish<br />
team do, especially in the match<br />
against England.<br />
“I am waiting for a beautiful<br />
match, and I hope with full stands<br />
to feel the atmosphere of British<br />
football and, of course, to get a<br />
positive result."<br />
National boss Bordin also<br />
opted to stay away from naming<br />
names within the Scottish squad<br />
but he's also a believer in the<br />
bigger picture of the strength of<br />
a side being spread throughout<br />
the team.<br />
He said: “<strong>Scotland</strong> are an<br />
excellent team with important<br />
players and proved to be very<br />
competitive at the last European<br />
Championship.<br />
"I'm not talking about individual<br />
players, but about the team,<br />
because I think that the results<br />
are always obtained as a team.<br />
Together with my staff we watch<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> matches and prepare<br />
every game in the best possible<br />
way. We work to be able to<br />
offer a good game and to try our<br />
chances with a strong opponent.<br />
"I love my job and I don't think<br />
this can surprise anyone. It's<br />
normal for those who do this job."<br />
Denmark's midfielder Lasse<br />
Schone and <strong>Moldova</strong>'s<br />
defender Igor Armas vie for<br />
the ball during a FIFA World<br />
Cup 2022 qualifier<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 25
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 26<br />
MOLDOVA<br />
IN NUMBERS<br />
175<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>’s current<br />
FIFA ranking<br />
Their best was 37th in<br />
April 2008 and lowest<br />
of 177th in November<br />
2020<br />
It has been 16 years since<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> last played <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
<strong>Moldova</strong><br />
have had six<br />
unsuccessful<br />
attempts to<br />
reach the<br />
World Cup<br />
finals<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>’s biggest defeat was 8-0<br />
against Denmark in this current World<br />
Cup qualification group
<strong>Moldova</strong> have<br />
played <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
twice, with one<br />
draw and one<br />
defeat<br />
It’s 30 years since <strong>Moldova</strong><br />
played their first game, a 4-2<br />
defeat by Georgia in Chisinau<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>’s 1-0<br />
friendly victory over<br />
Azerbaijan in June<br />
2021 was a first win<br />
in two years<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>’s biggest<br />
win was a 5-0<br />
victory over<br />
Pakistan in 1992<br />
Of the current<br />
squad nine are in<br />
their thirties, with<br />
defender Vadim<br />
Bolohan the<br />
oldest at 35<br />
Current <strong>Moldova</strong>n captain<br />
Alexandru Epureanu, who<br />
plays for Istanbul Basaksehir,<br />
is the country’s all-time<br />
appearance maker with a<br />
century of international caps<br />
after first debuting in 2006<br />
Serghei Clescenco is<br />
the nation’s all-time<br />
leading scorer with 11<br />
goals between 1991<br />
and 2006<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 27
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 28
PREVIOUS<br />
MEETINGS<br />
Tonight’s opponents have<br />
only faced each other twice...<br />
Walter Smith was just<br />
settling into his new<br />
job as <strong>Scotland</strong> boss<br />
the first and last<br />
time <strong>Moldova</strong> visited<br />
Hampden Park.<br />
The 2006 World Cup campaign<br />
was looking like a forlorn hope,<br />
but the former Rangers and<br />
Everton manager was tasked<br />
with getting it back on track.<br />
The Scottish FA had named Smith<br />
as new national team manager<br />
the previous December, following<br />
the resignation of Berti Vogts,<br />
and his tenure began in March<br />
2005 with a 2-0 defeat by Italy in<br />
the San Siro, where Andrea Pirlo<br />
struck with two free-kicks, one<br />
either side of half-time.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 29
Although the performance in<br />
front of around 10,000 Tartan<br />
Army was encouraging, the<br />
result left the Scots with only<br />
two points from their first four<br />
Group 5 qualifying fixtures<br />
- the draws coming against<br />
Slovenia and <strong>Moldova</strong> in a<br />
section which also included<br />
Belarus and Norway.<br />
Qualification hopes were<br />
slipping away but the visit<br />
of <strong>Moldova</strong>, a landlocked<br />
country situated in Eastern<br />
Europe which had previously<br />
been part of Romania and<br />
then the Soviet Union until<br />
its break-up, promised an<br />
upturn.<br />
The <strong>Moldova</strong>n Football<br />
Federation was founded in<br />
1990 but the national team<br />
did not play an international<br />
match until 1991, when they<br />
lost to Georgia.<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> were the group<br />
minnows and despite the 1-1<br />
draw the first time the two<br />
countries had met in Chisinau<br />
the previous year, three<br />
points were expected by the<br />
home fans when the teams<br />
met in Glasgow in June 2005.<br />
A goal from West Ham’s<br />
Christian Dailly and a late<br />
clincher from fellow substitute<br />
James McFadden, then with<br />
Everton, kept World Cup<br />
hopes alive... but only just.<br />
It was a solid rather than<br />
spectacular performance<br />
from a side which saw the<br />
return between the sticks of<br />
Craig Gordon, who was in<br />
his first spell at Hearts, the<br />
only player from that day still<br />
plying his trade.<br />
Dailly replaced the injured<br />
Jackie McNamara in the<br />
26th minute and although<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> had several chances<br />
in the first half, watched by<br />
just over 45,000 fans, it was<br />
goalless at the interval.<br />
The breakthrough came in<br />
the 52nd minute when<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> goalkeeper Evgheni<br />
Hmaruc could only tip a cross<br />
from Lee McCulloch towards<br />
his own goal and Dailly gladly<br />
knocked the ball in from<br />
almost on the line.<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> responded and<br />
Gordon saved from Serghei<br />
Rogaciov’s shot on the turn,<br />
before Ghenadie Olexici<br />
knocked the ball wide from in<br />
front of goal, then fired into<br />
the side-netting.<br />
Smith’s side were living<br />
dangerously but McFadden,<br />
on for McCulloch with 16<br />
minutes remaining, sealed<br />
the win in the 88th minute by<br />
driving past Hmaruc from 12<br />
yards, after Kenny Miller had<br />
bulldozed the opening.<br />
The new <strong>Scotland</strong> boss was<br />
happy to oversee a qualifying<br />
group win achieved by<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> at the fifth attempt.<br />
He said: “I’m obviously<br />
pleased with the outcome of<br />
the game. It was an awkward<br />
one for us. I felt for the first<br />
hour we played well and the<br />
game went very much as I<br />
had expected.<br />
“We were pleased to get a<br />
little bit of a break with the<br />
first goal, but after that, I felt<br />
we could have tried to control<br />
the game a little bit more.<br />
“Our possession of the ball<br />
was slack but I think that was<br />
mainly down to tiredness<br />
with some of the boys having<br />
finished their seasons two or<br />
three weeks ago.<br />
“<strong>Moldova</strong> pushed people<br />
forward and caused us a<br />
little bit of concern, but we<br />
managed to get the second<br />
goal and, effectively, that was<br />
the game over. Over the 90<br />
minutes though, we deserved<br />
to win the game.”<br />
If the result was expected it<br />
was nonetheless a boost for<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 31
If you’ve played The National<br />
Lottery, you’ve supported local<br />
football across <strong>Scotland</strong>.<br />
THANK YOU<br />
Every week, National Lottery players raise an<br />
amazing £36 million for good causes, including<br />
grassroots football.<br />
By buying a National Lottery ticket, you have supported<br />
clubs across the country, creating opportunities for<br />
everyone to get involved in the sport.<br />
www.sportscotland.org.uk
A LATE CLINCHER<br />
FROM SUBSTITUTE<br />
JAMES McFADDEN<br />
KEPT WORLD CUP<br />
HOPES ALIVE BUT<br />
ONLY JUST<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>, but <strong>Moldova</strong> coach<br />
Victor Pasulko was dismissive<br />
of the Scots’ chances of<br />
reaching the play-offs, with<br />
Italy on course to win the<br />
group. As it turned out, Gli<br />
Azzurri went on to win the<br />
tournament in Germany the<br />
following summer.<br />
He said: “It will be very<br />
difficult for the <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
team. Norway, Slovenia and<br />
Belarus are a little bit better<br />
than <strong>Scotland</strong>.”<br />
Pasulko proved to be correct.<br />
Ultimately, <strong>Scotland</strong> finished<br />
third in the group, five points<br />
behind Norway, who went<br />
into the play-offs before<br />
losing to Czech Republic, and<br />
10 points behind winners<br />
Italy. <strong>Moldova</strong> finished bottom<br />
with five points.<br />
The dropped points under<br />
Vogts in <strong>Scotland</strong>’s first-ever<br />
meeting with <strong>Moldova</strong> on 13<br />
October 2004, had helped<br />
eliminate the Scots.<br />
Vogts had been banished<br />
to the stands by referee<br />
Paul Allaerts at half-time<br />
in the 1-0 defeat at home<br />
to Norway the previous<br />
Saturday, and even so early<br />
in the campaign his job was<br />
in jeopardy.<br />
The German was sat in the<br />
Stadionul Republican among<br />
some of the Tartan Army<br />
who witnessed a quirk in the<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> line-up.<br />
Steven Caldwell joined<br />
brother Gary as the first<br />
pair of siblings to play for<br />
the <strong>Scotland</strong> senior side<br />
since Jock and David Shaw<br />
in 1946.<br />
Both had their work cut out.<br />
The home side carved the<br />
game’s first real chance,<br />
which Ghanadie Olexici<br />
headed over, before taking<br />
the lead in the 28th minute<br />
through Serghei Dadu. The<br />
striker took a flick on by<br />
Serghei Rogaciov at<br />
the back post and brushed<br />
aside centre-back Gary<br />
Caldwell to fire past Gordon<br />
from six yards.<br />
The goal stunned <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
into action and three minutes<br />
later they levelled through<br />
Steven Thompson. The<br />
Rangers striker got on the<br />
end of a Darren Fletcher<br />
cross from the right, which<br />
had been diverted into his<br />
path, and fired a low drive<br />
past goalkeeper Hmaruc for<br />
his third international goal.<br />
There was no late rally by<br />
the Scots. Indeed, <strong>Moldova</strong><br />
came back into it and Dadu<br />
headed over before Serghei<br />
Rogaciov missed the target<br />
from six yards.<br />
Afterwards, Vogts conceded<br />
that a bad night could have<br />
been worse for <strong>Scotland</strong>.<br />
He said: “The preparation<br />
was fine and all the boys<br />
did their best. But we didn’t<br />
have many chances and<br />
there were more chances<br />
for <strong>Moldova</strong>. Again, I’m very<br />
disappointed.”<br />
The draw was damaging<br />
enough and Vogts resigned<br />
the following month.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 33
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 34<br />
MALTA 1-5 SCOTLAND<br />
SUNDAY 4 SEPTEMBER, 2016 | WORLD CUP QUALIFIER<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> were top of their<br />
World Cup Qualifying group<br />
above England on this day five<br />
years ago, thanks to a Robert<br />
Snodgrass hat-trick in Valletta.<br />
The then Hull City midfielder<br />
opened the scoring on nine<br />
minutes with a fortuitous crosscome-shot,<br />
converted a penalty<br />
after Malta’s Jonathan Caruana<br />
was sent off and then claimed<br />
the match ball with six minutes<br />
remaining as the Scots struck<br />
four or more goals away from<br />
home in a qualifier for the first<br />
time in 15 years.<br />
It wasn’t all plain sailing for<br />
Gordon Strachan’s men though.<br />
Despite taking an early lead they<br />
were being held at half-time<br />
following Alfred Effiong’s headed<br />
equaliser.<br />
Yet the visitors, who gave a<br />
debut to 19-year-old Oliver<br />
Burke, made their superiority<br />
count in the second-half. Chris<br />
Martin converted a cross from<br />
the excellent Matt Ritchie and<br />
Steven Fletcher headed a fourth,<br />
before Snodgrass stole the<br />
headlines as the hosts finished<br />
with nine men after Luke<br />
Gambin’s dismissal.
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 35
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 36<br />
SCOTTISH FA<br />
GROUND REGULATIONS<br />
ENTRY TO THIS GROUND, WHETHER ON PAYMENT OR OTHERWISE, SHALL BE DEEMED FOR ALL<br />
PUPOSES TO CONSTITUTE AN UNQUALIFIED ACCEPTANCE TO BE BOUND BY AND AN UNDERTAKING<br />
TO COMPLY WITH THESE GROUND REGULATIONS AND RELEVANT FOOTBALL RULES.<br />
1. All matches are played in<br />
accordance with the RULES<br />
AND REGULATIONS of The<br />
Scottish Football Association, The<br />
Scottish Professional Football<br />
League and, where applicable,<br />
the Regulations of FIFA/UEFA<br />
Competitions (“Football Bodies”<br />
and “Football Rules”). Capitalised<br />
words and phrases in these<br />
ground regulations (“Ground<br />
Regulations”), except where<br />
herein defined, have the meanings<br />
given to them in the Rules and<br />
Regulations of The Scottish<br />
Professional Football League;<br />
a copy of which is available at:<br />
http://spfl.co.uk/docs/<br />
2. PLAY OR AN EVENT cannot be<br />
guaranteed to take place on any<br />
particular day or at any particular<br />
time and the relevant Home Club<br />
(“Club/Event Organiser”) at the<br />
match concerned (“the Match”)<br />
or event in the stadium to which<br />
these Regulations apply (“the<br />
Ground”) reserves the right to<br />
change its advertised fixtures<br />
without prior notice and without<br />
liability.<br />
3. All TICKETS for Matches (“Tickets”)<br />
sold/issued (“Allotted”) by or on<br />
behalf of the Club/Event Organiser<br />
are issued on the express<br />
conditions that no ticket holder<br />
shall sell or transfer same for a<br />
higher price than appears on the<br />
face of the ticket. In the event of<br />
any breach of this regulation, the<br />
Club/Event Organiser reserves<br />
the right to cancel each ticket<br />
concerned and to retain any<br />
money paid on allotment.<br />
4. In the event of a MATCH BEING<br />
ABANDONED after having<br />
kicked-off, you may be entitled<br />
to a refund of the admission<br />
charge paid in the determination<br />
of the Club/Event Organiser<br />
acting reasonably. Where a<br />
match is abandoned before the<br />
expiry of the first-half, admission<br />
arrangements for the re-arranged<br />
fixture will be issued to those who<br />
attend the abandoned match.<br />
The arrangements in cases where<br />
the match is abandoned after the<br />
expiry of the first-half shall be a<br />
matter for the discretion of the<br />
Club/Event Organiser.<br />
5. In the event of a MATCH BEING<br />
POSTPONED, for any reason,<br />
before having kicked off, any ticket<br />
purchased for the match will be<br />
valid on the postponed date.<br />
6. All persons entering the ground<br />
must pay for admission or<br />
otherwise hold a genuine TICKET<br />
or other permission from the Club/<br />
Event Organiser which was validly<br />
issued.<br />
7. Unauthorised persons are not<br />
permitted to ENTER UPON THE<br />
FIELD OF PLAY, trackside or any<br />
place which is not a spectator<br />
area. Such incursions will be<br />
treated with utmost seriousness<br />
and will be liable to arrest and<br />
criminal proceedings as well as to<br />
disciplinary sanctions by the Club/<br />
Event Organiser which may lead<br />
to long term exclusion from the<br />
ground.<br />
8. Only persons specifically<br />
authorised in writing by the Club/<br />
Event Organiser are permitted to<br />
offer newspapers, periodicals or<br />
any other ARTICLES FOR SALE<br />
in the ground and any charitable<br />
collection will only be permitted<br />
within the ground with the prior<br />
written consent of the Club/Event<br />
Organiser.<br />
9. Unnecessary NOISE such as<br />
from the use of radio sets and<br />
behaviour likely, in the opinion<br />
of the Club/Event Organiser to<br />
cause confusion, annoyance, fear,<br />
upset or nuisance of any kind is<br />
not permitted in any part of the<br />
ground.<br />
10. The use of disorderly, violent and/<br />
or threatening behaviour and/<br />
or the use of foul and/or abusive<br />
language, racial, sectarian,<br />
homophobic or discriminatory<br />
abuse, singing and/or chanting<br />
of any kind and damage to<br />
property is all strictly forbidden,<br />
is UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT<br />
and each and all of same and if<br />
constituting a criminal act and/<br />
or acts may result in arrest and/<br />
or prosecution and/or in conduct<br />
which does not constitute a<br />
criminal act and/or in the case<br />
of a criminal act, a ‘ban’ from<br />
the ground, regulated football<br />
matches, the confiscation of any<br />
ticket purchased or held and/<br />
or any other sanction as may be<br />
determined by the Club/Event<br />
Organiser and/or in the case of<br />
a failure to comply with and/or a<br />
breach of Football Rules by the<br />
relevant Football Body.<br />
11. The following articles MUST<br />
NOT BE BROUGHT INTO THE<br />
GROUND prohibited weapons,<br />
knives, fireworks, smoke canisters,<br />
air-horns, flares, weapons,<br />
dangerous or hazardous items,<br />
laser devices, bottles, glass<br />
vessels, cans, poles and any<br />
article that might be used as a<br />
weapon and/or compromise public<br />
safety. It is an offence punishable<br />
by law and Unacceptable<br />
Conduct for any person to enter<br />
or attempt to enter the ground<br />
whilst in possession of any article<br />
which is a firework or any article<br />
or substance whose purpose<br />
or any part of its purpose is the<br />
emission of a flare for purposes<br />
of illuminating or signalling or the<br />
emission of smoke and/or gas and<br />
any person in possession of such<br />
articles will be refused entry to<br />
the ground and if having entered,<br />
to expulsion from the ground and<br />
such other sanction as may be<br />
determined by the Club/Event<br />
Organiser and reported to the<br />
Police.<br />
12. It is a criminal offence and<br />
UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT for<br />
any person to enter or attempt<br />
to enter the ground: 1 whilst<br />
in possession of a container or<br />
any other item which is or was<br />
capable of holding liquid or any
other thing and which, if thrown,<br />
would be capable of causing<br />
injury to another person; 2 whilst<br />
in possession of alcohol; and/or 3<br />
whilst drunk.<br />
13. Any person entering the ground<br />
may, at the sole discretion of<br />
the Club/Event Organiser be<br />
SEARCHED and is deemed to<br />
have consented to be so searched,<br />
for any item or Material the<br />
possession or use of which may<br />
result in and/or cause or contribute<br />
to Unacceptable Conduct.<br />
14. STANDING IS FORBIDDEN in<br />
seated spectator viewing areas.<br />
15. BANNERS and/or other articles<br />
which could, or might be used as<br />
a weapon, or cause annoyance<br />
or unnecessary obstruction or<br />
offence and/or which may cause<br />
or contribute to Unacceptable<br />
Conduct are not permitted within<br />
the ground.<br />
16. Under no circumstances is it<br />
permitted to THROW or otherwise<br />
cause any objects or materials<br />
to enter on to the pitch, pitch<br />
surroundings, track(s) and/or<br />
technical area.<br />
17. At all times, the RIGHT OF<br />
ADMISSION is reserved to and by<br />
the Club/Event Organiser and no<br />
transfers within the ground are<br />
permitted. Spectators found in an<br />
area for which they do not have a<br />
valid ticket may be ejected.<br />
18. MOBILE TELEPHONES,<br />
SMARTPHONES and other<br />
similar mobile telephonic devices<br />
(“Mobile Devices”), excluding<br />
cameras which are not part<br />
of and subsidiary to a Mobile<br />
Device, are permitted within the<br />
ground, PROVIDED THAT, (i)<br />
they are used for personal and<br />
private use only, which, and by<br />
way of example only, shall not<br />
include the capturing, logging,<br />
recording, transmitting, playing,<br />
issuing, showing, or any other<br />
communication of any material<br />
(“Capturing), for any commercial<br />
purpose; and (ii) no material<br />
that is captured by a mobile<br />
device or other device may<br />
be published, communicated,<br />
transmitted, sent, broadcast and/<br />
or otherwise made available by<br />
any means to any third party<br />
including, without limitation, social<br />
networking sites or any other<br />
means of communication and/or<br />
transmission.<br />
19. Save as provided in paragraph 18<br />
above, NO PERSON (other than a<br />
person who holds an appropriate<br />
licence) MAY RECORD,<br />
TRANSMIT, PLAY, ISSUE.<br />
CAPTURE, LOG, BROADCAST,<br />
SHOW OR OTHERWISE<br />
COMMUNICATE ANY MATERIAL<br />
including and/or comprising any<br />
audio, visual or audio-visual<br />
material or any information or<br />
data, by digital or other means, in<br />
relation to a match taking place in<br />
the ground, any players or other<br />
persons present in the ground<br />
and/or the ground, nor may they<br />
bring into the ground or use within<br />
the ground (or provide to, facilitate<br />
or otherwise assist another<br />
person to use within the ground)<br />
any equipment or technology<br />
which is capable of capturing,<br />
logging, recording, transmitting,<br />
playing, issuing, showing or<br />
otherwise communicating (by<br />
digital or other means) any such<br />
Material as described above. Any<br />
person failing to comply with<br />
these restrictions is deemed to<br />
be liable to have such equipment,<br />
technology and material in<br />
whatever form, confiscated<br />
without compensation by the<br />
Club/Event Organiser. Copyright,<br />
Database Rights and any other<br />
intellectual property rights in<br />
any such unauthorised recording<br />
or transmission is assigned (by<br />
way of present assignation<br />
or assignations of future<br />
rights) to the relevant Football<br />
Authority organising the match<br />
in its relevant competition. You<br />
further agree (if and whenever<br />
required to do so by said relevant<br />
Football Authority to promptly<br />
execute all instruments and do<br />
all things necessary to vest the<br />
right, title and interest in such<br />
rights to said relevant Football<br />
Authority absolutely and, where<br />
legally permissible, with full title<br />
guarantee.<br />
20. All PERSONS ENTERING<br />
GROUND are admitted only<br />
subject to these Ground<br />
Regulations and to the Football<br />
Rules and Regulations of The<br />
Scottish Football Association and<br />
The Scottish Professional Football<br />
League<br />
21. The Club/Event Organiser reserves<br />
the right: (i) for its employees,<br />
agents, security staff and<br />
contractors to REMOVE FROM<br />
THE GROUND; and (ii) to IMPOSE<br />
SANCTIONS as regards future<br />
entry to the ground on, any person<br />
who does not comply with these<br />
Regulations and/or the Rules of<br />
The Scottish Football Association,<br />
The Scottish Professional Football<br />
League and/or, where applicable,<br />
the Regulations of the FIFA/<br />
UEFA Competitions or whose<br />
presence in the ground is or could<br />
reasonably be considered as<br />
constituting a source of danger,<br />
nuisance and/or annoyance to<br />
other persons within the ground.<br />
22. SMOKING [INCLUDING ALL<br />
PIPES AND E CIGARRETTES] IS<br />
STRICTLY FORBIDDEN inside<br />
the Ground [in all areas where<br />
smoking is illegal]. [Otherwise<br />
smoking is only permitted in areas<br />
where it is expressly identified<br />
and in a form (e.g. E cigarettes)<br />
which is expressly stated to be<br />
permitted.]*<br />
23. On no account will admission<br />
to the Ground be granted to a<br />
person who is subject of a current<br />
FOOTBALL BANNING ORDER.<br />
24. CCTV cameras may be in use<br />
in and around the Ground and<br />
recordings of images, both<br />
moving and still, from such CCTV<br />
cameras and any other cameras<br />
in or on the Ground may be<br />
used in any proceedings and/<br />
or for any purposes relating to<br />
the management and/or control<br />
of the ground by the Club/<br />
Event Organiser, the Police, the<br />
Visiting Club and the relevant<br />
Football Authority. By entering<br />
the ground you are deemed to<br />
have consented to the use of such<br />
images from such CCTV systems<br />
and cameras and for such images<br />
to be shared with and/or used<br />
by the Club/Event Organiser, the<br />
relevant Football Body and by and<br />
with the owners and operators<br />
of any club participating in any<br />
match at which such images are<br />
captured and/or recorded.<br />
INFORMATION<br />
You should be aware that in terms<br />
of a protocol with Police <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
the details, images and/or result<br />
of any arrest, detention and/or<br />
prosecution occurring in connection<br />
with a match may be shared with<br />
the Club/Event Organiser. FOOTBALL<br />
BANNING ORDERs may be imposed<br />
on individuals who breach and/<br />
or fail to comply with these Ground<br />
Regulations. In each regulation text<br />
appears in capitals and/or in bold;<br />
this is an indication of the subject of<br />
the regulation and does not imply<br />
any modification of the meaning or<br />
significance of the relevant text in<br />
its context.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 37
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 38
END OF<br />
THE LINE<br />
The first encounter with<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> spelled the end of<br />
the manager and goalscorer’s<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> careers<br />
› › ›<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 39
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 40<br />
Steven<br />
Thompson<br />
scored<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s<br />
first ever<br />
goal against<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> in<br />
2004<br />
Steven Thompson retains mixed<br />
feelings about the first time <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
took on tonight’s opponents.<br />
The former striker tucked away the<br />
equalising goal in the 1-1 draw inside<br />
the Stadionul Republican, Chisinau,<br />
on 13 October 2004 with some<br />
assurance.<br />
However, the result further damaged<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s 2006 World Cup qualifying<br />
hopes, leaving them with two points<br />
from their first three Group F games.<br />
As it transpired, manager Berti Vogts<br />
soon resigned and Thompson’s third<br />
international goal came in his last<br />
of 16 appearances for <strong>Scotland</strong>.<br />
Although former Rangers and Everton<br />
boss Walter Smith stepped in,<br />
ultimately <strong>Scotland</strong> failed to qualify.<br />
Thompson enjoyed a 20-year career<br />
at Dundee United, Rangers, Cardiff<br />
City, Burnley and St Mirren before<br />
entering the media, and reflecting on<br />
that night in <strong>Moldova</strong> almost 17 years<br />
ago, he says: “I would like to think my<br />
first thoughts were scoring the goal<br />
in the game but probably what rings<br />
out for me is that it was my last cap<br />
for <strong>Scotland</strong>, which at the time, having<br />
scored the goal and played quite well, I<br />
didn’t think it would be.<br />
“But you never know in football and it<br />
is funny because Tommy Burns, who<br />
was assistant to Berti, used to always<br />
tell us, ‘make sure you enjoy it, make<br />
sure you leave everything out on the<br />
pitch because you never know when it<br />
will be your last cap’. And it rang true<br />
for me aged 26.<br />
“That was also Berti’s last game. It<br />
was horrible after the match. As we<br />
made our way to the airport, the fans<br />
were giving it tight to Berti and to us. It<br />
was not a nice scene. At that point we<br />
all thought Berti couldn’t survive.<br />
“It is always tricky when you are<br />
away to these smaller nations, the<br />
expectation is there to go and win the<br />
game easily. Don’t get me wrong, we<br />
should have won the game, you should<br />
be beating <strong>Moldova</strong>.
“I was in a couple of squads when<br />
Walter took over but he didn’t fancy<br />
me so that was it, that was my<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> career over. What Tommy<br />
had said was very true. You never<br />
know when it will be your last.<br />
“There were other players starting to<br />
play well like Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd,<br />
so you get moved to the side.<br />
“When I was at Burnley, when George<br />
Burley was <strong>Scotland</strong> manager, he<br />
made contact with my manager Owen<br />
Coyle and I was supposed to be in a<br />
squad. We were playing Nottingham<br />
Forest on the Saturday and I injured<br />
my ankle ligaments from a bad<br />
challenge and couldn’t make it. So I<br />
might have sneaked my way back in<br />
at that point in time. I certainly thought<br />
I would get another cap but that’s the<br />
way it went.”<br />
Thompson’s <strong>Scotland</strong> career also<br />
began at the same time as Vogts’<br />
tenure. He was called up to the<br />
German’s first squad while still<br />
at Dundee United and made his<br />
international debut on 27 March 2002<br />
against France in a friendly at the<br />
Stade de France in front of around<br />
77,000 fans.<br />
The star-studded home side was<br />
comprised of the bulk of the team<br />
which won the 2000 Euros, with<br />
star names such as Fabien Barthez,<br />
Marcel Desailly, Patrick Vieira, Zinedine<br />
Zidane, Thierry Henry and David<br />
Trezeguet.<br />
Thompson replaced Stevie Crawford in<br />
the 63rd minute when <strong>Scotland</strong> were<br />
4-0 down and they lost a fifth near<br />
the end. It was quite the introduction<br />
to international football for the former<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> Under-21 forward.<br />
He said: “Alex Smith, my manager<br />
at Dundee United, pulled me into<br />
the office and told me I was in the<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> squad. I couldn’t believe it.<br />
I was shaking and my legs almost<br />
gave way. It was amazing.<br />
“I remember turning up at training<br />
for <strong>Scotland</strong> and thinking, ‘My God,<br />
how am I going to cope with all these<br />
players?’<br />
“But in the very first training session<br />
Paul Lambert had an absolute torrid<br />
time. His touch was all over the place,<br />
he was giving the ball away and it<br />
totally put me at ease because you<br />
wouldn’t have expected that from Paul<br />
Lambert.<br />
“So it wasn’t as terrifying as I first<br />
thought, but of course when he went<br />
on the pitch for games he played well.<br />
“We took an absolute doing against<br />
France but it was an incredible<br />
experience to play against a team<br />
like that. The sad thing was a few of<br />
us got our shirts nicked at Charles de<br />
Gaulle airport on the way home.<br />
“I switched shirts with Mikael Silvestre,<br />
who came on at half-time. That was<br />
my first strip, playing France, and got<br />
home and there was no shirt in my<br />
bag so I have no strip from my very<br />
first cap, which is quite sad.<br />
Thompson<br />
celebrates<br />
his third<br />
international<br />
goal with<br />
Stevie<br />
Crawford<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 41
GAMING MARATHONS<br />
ARE NOW<br />
with the UK’s first<br />
hybrid home broadband<br />
backed up by<br />
Why settle for anyone else?<br />
Search BT hybrid broadband.<br />
88% UK availability. 4G coverage and BT fibre required. 4G network connection takes up to 175 seconds. To verify visit bt.com/verifyhybrid
“It was a whirlwind. My <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
career was only over the course of<br />
about three years but I loved every<br />
minute of it. I loved being away with<br />
the boys and getting to know different<br />
players from different teams.<br />
“A bit of me thinks I could have had<br />
more caps but just to get capped and<br />
score a few goals as well, I look back<br />
on that with a lot of pride and a lot of<br />
happiness.<br />
“I have Berti to thank for that. I loved<br />
wee Berti and Tommy Burns, they<br />
were great for me personally and I<br />
will always be thankful. Although we<br />
weren’t particularly successful there<br />
was some nice moments within it.”<br />
While almost every <strong>Scotland</strong> player<br />
from the game against <strong>Moldova</strong> in<br />
2004 has gone on to manage or coach<br />
at clubs to some extent, Thompson<br />
has forged a new career in sports<br />
media, moving seamlessly from pundit<br />
to presenter at BBC <strong>Scotland</strong>, and he<br />
has no pangs of regret, no desire to<br />
kick a ball again.<br />
He said: “I had done my badges and,<br />
at 33/34, I was thinking I will probably<br />
go down the coaching route, but I<br />
wasn’t proactive and I wanted to play<br />
as long as I could, to 35/36.<br />
“I started to do more and more<br />
on Sportscene and the BBC were<br />
quite keen for me do more when I<br />
retired from playing. I never foresaw<br />
presenting. That escalated quickly but<br />
I am loving it.<br />
“It is more difficult than being a pundit,<br />
a lot more preparation, stress and<br />
pressure, but the more I do it the more<br />
I feel I am relaxing into it.<br />
“It takes years to get good at and<br />
hopefully I can continue to get better<br />
at it. It has been a test for me but you<br />
need to get out of your comfort zone<br />
from time to time.<br />
“I just hope it will be a better outcome<br />
against <strong>Moldova</strong> this time than it was<br />
the first time we played against them.<br />
I would imagine that, being at home,<br />
we would be comfortable enough.”<br />
Top left: Berti<br />
Vogts gave<br />
Thompson<br />
his first<br />
international<br />
cap<br />
Top right:<br />
Thompson<br />
now works for<br />
BBC <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
Above:<br />
Celebrating<br />
his first<br />
international<br />
goal in a<br />
friendly<br />
against<br />
Canada<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 43
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 44
A SPECIAL<br />
ENVIRONMENT<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s top women players will<br />
get the chance to live the Hampden<br />
experience on a regular basis<br />
Rachel Corsie is thrilled that<br />
the home of Scottish football<br />
is to become the domain of<br />
the <strong>Scotland</strong> Women’s National<br />
Team.<br />
A key target of the ‘Accelerate<br />
Our Game’ strategy launched<br />
by the Scottish FA in July is to<br />
have the SWNT playing out of<br />
Hampden Park.<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> Women have<br />
previously played matches<br />
at places such as Fir Park,<br />
Tynecastle, Easter Road and<br />
St Mirren’s ground but they will<br />
contest all their home fixtures in<br />
the 2023 World Cup qualification<br />
campaign at the national<br />
stadium with Spain, Ukraine,<br />
Hungary and Faroe Islands the<br />
welcome visitors this season.<br />
Corsie, who will retain the<br />
captain’s armband under new<br />
boss Pedro Martinez Losa,<br />
remembers her last game at<br />
Hampden in May 2019, when<br />
a record crowd for a women’s<br />
match in <strong>Scotland</strong> of 18,555<br />
turned up to see the Scots beat<br />
Jamaica in a World Cup warmup<br />
game. The defender believes<br />
the permanent move to Mount<br />
Florida will further energise<br />
women’s football in the country.<br />
“There was a huge turnout<br />
for the World Cup send-off game<br />
against Jamaica and there was<br />
a lot of hype around it,” said the<br />
32-year-old Kansas City player,<br />
who has racked up a remarkable<br />
123 caps.<br />
“There will be hype around this<br />
World Cup campaign and the<br />
ticket sales have gone well and<br />
the fans play such a huge part,<br />
especially in <strong>Scotland</strong>.<br />
“It makes for a special<br />
environment that a lot of the<br />
other teams don’t have the<br />
benefit of and it is a perfect<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 45
example of needing to make the<br />
most of that and use it to our<br />
advantage. Playing at Hampden<br />
is incredible. Everyone knows<br />
what it means, everyone in the<br />
team, the fans, the country.<br />
“It is a huge statement from the<br />
Scottish FA and everybody is<br />
extremely excited about that. We<br />
have seen the women’s game<br />
grow and we talk about the<br />
women’s game growing but this<br />
is going to be a real example of<br />
the change and the push to take<br />
it to a new level.”<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> start their campaign<br />
away to Hungary on 17<br />
September before the Faroe<br />
Islands travel to the south side of<br />
Glasgow on 21 September.<br />
Corsie believes the pain of<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>’s last qualification<br />
campaign, where they finished<br />
third behind Finland and Portugal<br />
after four wins and four defeats<br />
to miss out on Euro 2022, will act<br />
as an incentive to put things right<br />
this time.<br />
The Aberdonian said: “It is the<br />
start of a new campaign and<br />
there will be a number of players<br />
involved from the last campaign<br />
who felt that disappointment,<br />
that sense of under-achievement<br />
which is one of the toughest<br />
feelings as an athlete, that you<br />
didn’t do as well as you hoped.<br />
We let ourselves down the<br />
last time and it is important to<br />
remember how it felt.<br />
“Not that you need motivation<br />
to play for your country, but it<br />
can be a good reminder that you<br />
have to be absolutely at your<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 47
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 48<br />
best and make sure that you do<br />
absolutely everything to find a<br />
way to get results.<br />
“The game is not just developing<br />
in the bigger nations, every<br />
nation is closing the gap. I have<br />
been involved in the national<br />
team for the last 10 years and<br />
the teams that are in pots three,<br />
four and five - you can’t just<br />
overlook them.<br />
“You have to make sure you are<br />
ready for every game and the<br />
last campaign highlighted that<br />
results were tight in every group.<br />
“So there is a little extra bit of<br />
drive and fight in everyone’s<br />
bellies to get back to pushing for<br />
a major tournament and there<br />
is no bigger tournament than a<br />
World Cup.”<br />
A mural of Corsie on display in her<br />
home town of Aberdeen
Paradoxically, while drawn<br />
by the pull of <strong>Scotland</strong>’s<br />
national stadium, Corsie is<br />
one of Scottish football’s most<br />
far-travelled and successful<br />
exports.<br />
After starting out at her home<br />
town team Aberdeen Ladies,<br />
she had spells at Glasgow City<br />
(twice), Notts County, Seattle<br />
Reign, Utah Royals, Canberra<br />
United in Australia and<br />
Birmingham City before signing<br />
for Kansas, a new franchise in<br />
the National Women’s Soccer<br />
League in the United States,<br />
earlier this year.<br />
Corsie said: “It probably sounds<br />
strange to say I hate change. I<br />
am probably risk averse so to<br />
think I have moved around and<br />
gone with it isn’t natural to me,<br />
but I have certainly loved it.<br />
“I have played at some really<br />
great clubs in great cities and<br />
met a lot of really good people,<br />
so I feel fortunate for that and I<br />
am still really enjoying it.<br />
“My mum still wants me to<br />
come home at some point but<br />
there is time for that.<br />
“Having been in Seattle and Salt<br />
Lake, Kansas is a different city to<br />
experience.<br />
“Possibly Scottish people<br />
wouldn’t understand that it is<br />
possible to be too hot. You might<br />
look at the weather map and<br />
think, ‘I would love to be there<br />
and sit outside all day’. You<br />
wouldn’t!<br />
“Things haven’t gone as well as<br />
we would have hoped in terms of<br />
results but it is a new franchise<br />
so there will be bumps in the<br />
road. But it has been good.”<br />
With experience of playing and<br />
living in a country which takes<br />
women’s football very seriously,<br />
Corsie is aware of the sport’s<br />
potential. The US are the most<br />
successful in international<br />
women’s football, having won<br />
four World Cups among many<br />
other honours.<br />
THERE IS A LITTLE EXTRA BIT OF<br />
DRIVE AND FIGHT IN EVERYONE’S<br />
BELLIES TO GET BACK TO PUSHING<br />
FOR A MAJOR TOURNAMENT AND<br />
THERE IS NO BIGGER TOURNAMENT<br />
THAN A WORLD CUP<br />
She said: “It is up there as one<br />
of the most popular sports for<br />
female athletes over here. It has<br />
opened my eyes. I have been<br />
here (on and off) for seven years<br />
now and you start to realise<br />
that it is possible to be seen as<br />
a professional player, to be high<br />
profile, to have that prestige<br />
around it, to have that career<br />
that is valued.<br />
“I would love to see more of that<br />
back home where there is still<br />
room for growth. It is important<br />
that we have role models. There<br />
are some great role models here<br />
and they have led the way for<br />
the game.”<br />
Returning to more imminent<br />
matters, Corsie is bracing<br />
herself for a tough qualification<br />
campaign.<br />
She said: “Spain is the team<br />
that everyone will look to as the<br />
big one, which undoubtedly it<br />
is as they are a top nation and<br />
obviously that will be a hard<br />
game.<br />
“It will be really important<br />
that we are very focused<br />
and disciplined, starting with<br />
Hungary away, that is not<br />
straightforward. But equally<br />
it is a game we look forward<br />
to knowing we go in with<br />
confidence that we are the better<br />
team and a positive result there<br />
starts us off on the right note.”<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 49
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 50<br />
ZANDER CLARK<br />
WORDS: MICHAEL LAMONT, SCOTTISH FA<br />
Zander Clark capped off the best six months of<br />
his career at the end of August with a call-up to<br />
the <strong>Scotland</strong> squad.<br />
Arriving into the international<br />
camp in Edinburgh at the start of<br />
the week has proved to be just<br />
reward for a whirlwind last few<br />
months which has seen the<br />
St Johnstone No.1 become part<br />
of history, winning a famous cup<br />
double with the Perth side.<br />
The goalkeeping colossus proved<br />
to be a key figure for Callum<br />
Davidson as his side lifted the<br />
League Cup and Scottish Cup<br />
before impressing in Europe,<br />
running both Galatasary and<br />
LASK close. Now the Clydebank<br />
boy is hoping to make his impact<br />
with the national team, having<br />
watched on as a fan in the<br />
summer as <strong>Scotland</strong> took to the<br />
EURO 2020 stage.<br />
Despite experiencing success<br />
at the national stadium, Clark<br />
has missed the fans and is<br />
eagerly anticipating their return<br />
to Hampden Park tonight as<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> come to town.<br />
How did you find out you<br />
Q were in the <strong>Scotland</strong> squad<br />
for the first time and what was<br />
your reaction?<br />
I received a phone call from<br />
A one of our player liaison<br />
officers at St Johnstone to say<br />
he’d passed on my details to<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>, so I knew I was going<br />
to be there or thereabouts and<br />
when the email came through<br />
that I’d been selected I was<br />
absolutely buzzing. This is<br />
something I’ve always aimed for<br />
since I was young, so to have<br />
that opportunity to meet up with<br />
the squad has been a proud<br />
moment.<br />
I think I found out about half an<br />
hour before it was announced<br />
publicly and I tried to keep it<br />
from the family just so it was a<br />
surprise for them. I phoned my<br />
fiancée on my way home from<br />
training and asked her to put<br />
on Sky Sports News so she was
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 51
IT’S BEEN TOO<br />
LONG NOT<br />
BEING PART<br />
OF MAJOR<br />
TOURNAMENTS<br />
AND HOPEFULLY<br />
THAT WAS THE<br />
FIRST OF MANY<br />
MORE TO COME<br />
IN THE NEAR<br />
FUTURE<br />
A proud first international<br />
squad call-up for Zander Clark<br />
tuned in for it. It was great to<br />
share that moment with those<br />
people close to me as it was a<br />
good achievement personally,<br />
but also for all of them as they’ve<br />
done so much for me.<br />
Last season was incredible at<br />
St Johnstone, and then the<br />
European experience was brilliant<br />
too. To receive the call-up has<br />
been the icing on the cake after all<br />
of the hard work I’ve put in.<br />
Did you watch much of this<br />
Q summer’s Euros?<br />
I was only a pup when we<br />
A played at the ‘98 World Cup<br />
so I was tuned in to all the games<br />
during the summer and loved<br />
to see the country so excited<br />
about the national team. It was<br />
a great moment seeing the team<br />
walk out at Hampden for that<br />
Czech Republic game. It’s been<br />
too long not being part of major<br />
tournaments and hopefully that<br />
was the first of many more to<br />
come in the near future.<br />
A few of the St Johnstone boys<br />
went down for the Wembley<br />
game and that probably shows<br />
how interested everyone was.<br />
People were just wanting to be<br />
part of it.<br />
During the summer, towns were<br />
decked out in <strong>Scotland</strong> flags and<br />
it was amazing to see. When you<br />
were walking down the street it<br />
would be unusual not to see a<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> shirt or a flag hanging<br />
out the window.<br />
I think the guys did well at the<br />
tournament against tough<br />
opposition. We were unlucky not<br />
to win against England and that<br />
in itself shows how well the team<br />
did that night, considering how<br />
well they ended up doing in the<br />
tournament.<br />
Who are you close with in the<br />
Q <strong>Scotland</strong> squad?<br />
I know a few of the guys and<br />
A it’s been great to be with<br />
them this week. John McGinn is<br />
a fellow Bankie so I’ve known<br />
him for a while. The two of us are<br />
from Clydebank and whenever<br />
we’re in each other’s company<br />
we always get on well. It’s been<br />
great to see how well he’s done.<br />
I know Stephen O’Donnell well<br />
and I was delighted to see<br />
how he did at Wembley. Social<br />
media can be a hard place at<br />
times but seeing him put in the<br />
performance he did after some of<br />
the undeserved stick he received<br />
was brilliant. That’s the kind of<br />
person he is - he’s strong willed<br />
and doesn’t let anything like<br />
that affect him. I’ve played with<br />
him before at youth level and<br />
have known him through playing<br />
against him too. I usually see him<br />
on a Sunday when myself and<br />
my fiancée are going for a walk<br />
around Strathclyde Park and<br />
SOD is usually out there as well<br />
with his other half and the wee<br />
one. It’s been good to be with him<br />
this week.<br />
What are your memories<br />
Q watching <strong>Scotland</strong> growing<br />
up?<br />
I remember the heartbreak of<br />
A the Italy game in 2007. I didn’t<br />
have a ticket but I remember<br />
being desperate to go into the<br />
centre of Glasgow just to soak<br />
up the atmosphere as the place<br />
was absolutely jumping. The<br />
whole country is always buzzing<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 53
when <strong>Scotland</strong> are playing, so<br />
whenever they had a game I<br />
would always try to get into the<br />
stadium or at the very least be in<br />
the city centre to be part of it.<br />
To actually be in a squad now is<br />
really special.<br />
You must be looking forward<br />
Q to being back at Hampden<br />
Park tonight after experiencing<br />
so much success at the stadium<br />
recently?<br />
Yes, I’ve certainly enjoyed my<br />
A last few visits to the national<br />
stadium. Winning trophies and<br />
playing at Hampden is something<br />
you dream of, so to do that was<br />
amazing but it was just such a<br />
shame there weren’t any fans<br />
there to enjoy it with us. It was<br />
all a bit surreal but took nothing<br />
away from the special memories<br />
that we had earlier this year.<br />
You’ve recently been playing<br />
Q in Europe with St Johnstone,<br />
how has that experience helped<br />
you prepare for international<br />
duty?<br />
You always take bits and bobs<br />
A from people you play against,<br />
and even more so when they<br />
are of the highest standard like<br />
Galatasary and LASK were. It<br />
put me in good stead and I’ve<br />
enjoyed camp this week, training<br />
with the players, as there is<br />
quality right the way through.<br />
What was the key to the<br />
Q success with St Johnstone?<br />
I would say probably the<br />
A togetherness of the group.<br />
We’ve got a great changing room<br />
and boys who all want to do<br />
well for each other. We’re very<br />
much all in it together and we’d<br />
run through brick walls for each<br />
other if it meant winning games.<br />
Since I’ve been at the club there’s<br />
always been a good atmosphere<br />
and it definitely helped last<br />
season.<br />
It’s been great to join up with<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> this week as it is a<br />
similar vibe here in that it does<br />
feel like a club environment and<br />
I think that will definitely help us<br />
on the field, like it does with<br />
St Johnstone.<br />
ABOVE: Clark enjoyed Europa<br />
League action for St Johnstone<br />
against Galatasaray following<br />
his double cup success<br />
BELOW: Celebrating Scottish<br />
Cup victory with team-mates<br />
in May of this year<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 55
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 56<br />
LEARNING<br />
THROUGH<br />
FOOTBALL<br />
The recent Euro 2020 finals<br />
are having a major influence<br />
on education in <strong>Scotland</strong>
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 57
Take on a challenge that puts children first<br />
Scan code to find out<br />
how you can get involved
The emergence of Chelsea<br />
midfielder Billy Gilmour<br />
in the 2020 European<br />
Championships this summer<br />
has given increased hope for<br />
the future of the <strong>Scotland</strong><br />
national team.<br />
Off the park, one of the Scottish FA's<br />
most important legacies from the<br />
delayed tournament is an educational<br />
tool which could benefit schoolkids for<br />
years to come.<br />
The game's ruling body, in partnership<br />
with Glasgow City Council, has<br />
developed an online platform designed<br />
to support teaching and learning using<br />
the context of football.<br />
Relaunched in the wake of the Euros,<br />
‘Learning Through Football’ offers<br />
learning opportunities in seven<br />
curricular areas of Curriculum for<br />
Excellence: Languages (i.e. Literacy<br />
and Modern Languages), Maths<br />
and Numeracy, Health & Wellbeing,<br />
Science, Technologies, Expressive Arts.<br />
It is aimed predominantly at primary<br />
schools, which have more of a broad<br />
brush approach to education, but can<br />
also be utilised in secondary schools.<br />
Paul McNeill, Head of Community<br />
Development at the Scottish FA,<br />
explained the thinking behind the<br />
classroom-based teachers’ resource.<br />
He said: "This is a legacy from the<br />
Euros, which obviously didn't happen<br />
in 2020 because of Covid, so it has<br />
been more than two years in the<br />
making.<br />
"It is a basic platform to use the<br />
power of football to help with the<br />
learning and development within an<br />
educational environment.<br />
"In 2018-19 we wanted to use the<br />
Euros in Glasgow, which was of course<br />
a host city, to engage with as many<br />
people as we could.<br />
"We managed to link it with the<br />
Curriculum for Excellence. Teachers<br />
can go into the platform, pick up a<br />
couple of subject ideas and they can<br />
use football as a vehicle for learning.<br />
"Schools have used it and we have<br />
had very positive feedback with<br />
teachers saying they could engage<br />
different areas of the class.<br />
"An example; some schools asked the<br />
kids where Baku was. It was a host<br />
city in the Euros. How long does it take<br />
to get to Baku?<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 59
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 60<br />
"How can you say hello in the 11<br />
different countries that were hosting<br />
the Euros?<br />
“Croatia and Czech Republic were in<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong>'s group. What about learning<br />
a few sentences in Czech or Croatian?<br />
"Use any subject matter" said McNeill.<br />
"For maths, you can use the UEFA<br />
coefficients, the statistics used for<br />
ranking and seeding teams in club and<br />
international competitions.<br />
"That is a mathematical equation.<br />
How do we work it out? You deliver<br />
maths but use a real-life experience<br />
to do it.<br />
"Those are the types of things we<br />
want to do.<br />
"The first thing we have done with the<br />
new website is an interview with Dr<br />
John MacLean, talking about his role<br />
with the Scottish FA.<br />
“Kids might say, 'why do we need a<br />
doctor in the dugout?' And of course<br />
the situation with Denmark's Christian<br />
Eriksen, when he collapsed in the<br />
Euros, shows you the importance of<br />
having a doctor.<br />
"There might be a child inspired to say,<br />
'I want to become a doctor, I want to<br />
see how I can do that.' Maybe that<br />
youngster who is a reluctant learner<br />
and doesn't want to read, if you put<br />
it in a sporting context that they are<br />
interested in, they will pick the book<br />
up. There are numerous ways it can<br />
help learning.<br />
"This is our legacy. We want to get this<br />
out for all schools to use.<br />
"We want to take it forward in<br />
the next few years as it is a great<br />
opportunity to do something positive."<br />
David Weir's background is in primary<br />
school teaching but these days he is<br />
PE Lead Officer at PEPASS (Glasgow’s<br />
Physical Education, Physical Activity<br />
and School Sport) while also working<br />
with the Scottish FA.<br />
He developed ‘Learning Through<br />
Football’, first as a hard copy<br />
document before it was taken online<br />
and, thanks to the commitment of the<br />
Scottish FA, he is excited about the<br />
prospect of how big the free-to-access<br />
online resource could get.<br />
He said: "My job was primarily<br />
to create the ideas, the learning<br />
opportunities and explore maths,<br />
numeracy, expressive arts, sciences,<br />
technologies to see how football could<br />
provide a real context within those<br />
curricular areas to try to encourage<br />
learning.<br />
"I came up with the ideas and the<br />
Scottish FA were keen to drive that to<br />
make it bigger and better.<br />
"I was keen to speak to a number<br />
of teachers who had used ‘Learning<br />
Through Football’ before the summer
Opposite:<br />
David Weir,<br />
PE Lead<br />
Officer at<br />
PEPASS<br />
and the feedback was that the<br />
learning was massively engaging,<br />
not only with perhaps stereotypical<br />
football fans, but also challenging<br />
those who maybe are not football fans<br />
which is one of the things the Scottish<br />
FA were massively keen to do.<br />
"They didn't want it to be learning<br />
about football, they wanted it to be<br />
learning through football.<br />
"They wanted it to appeal to those<br />
who perhaps needed the engagement<br />
of football, those who might not like<br />
maths or numeracy but when it is put<br />
in a context they are more familiar<br />
with and excited about, all of a sudden<br />
they are wrapped up in learning.<br />
"We also asked teachers about<br />
learners who might groan when<br />
told they would be learning through<br />
football. As it went on they were<br />
appreciating it, they could apply a<br />
skill like writing to a context they were<br />
not so familiar with, which was also<br />
challenging and it has proved to be<br />
popular with parents and teachers.<br />
"This online platform which is being<br />
revamped and relaunched is just a<br />
starting point, we have improved it<br />
already and it really is just beginning<br />
to scratch the surface of what is<br />
possible."<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 61
RETURN AND RECOVER,<br />
AFTER LOCKDOWN.<br />
PHYSIOTHERAPY // SPORTS MASSAGE // HEALTH & FITNESS TESTING //<br />
PODIATRY & BIOMECHANICS // SPORTS FIRST AID // MSK ULTRASOUND //<br />
HYDROTHERAPY POOL // REHABILITATION GYM.<br />
OPEN TO EVERYONE<br />
HAMPDEN SPORTS CLINIC IS THE COUNTRY’S LEADING<br />
SPORTS INJURY AND REHABILITATION CENTRE<br />
PHYSIOTHERAPY<br />
HYDROTHERAPY<br />
POOL<br />
FIRST AID<br />
SPORTS<br />
MASSAGE<br />
HEALTH<br />
& FITNESS<br />
TESTING
NO WIN BUT<br />
PLENTY WINE<br />
<strong>Scotland</strong> fan<br />
John Gold recalls<br />
an eventful trip to<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong><br />
A near 2,000-mile trek to<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong> proved hugely<br />
enjoyable for the Shetland<br />
Tartan Army in 2004 - although<br />
the local wine festival proved<br />
more memorable than the<br />
football.<br />
John Hay, Adam Swift, Donald<br />
Willmore, Peter Farquhar and<br />
myself arrived in Chisinau on<br />
Saturday, 9 October ahead of the<br />
World Cup qualifier the following<br />
midweek. We flew out early,<br />
missing the home game against<br />
Norway but hoping to catch it on<br />
television over there.<br />
The first thing we did when we<br />
arrived was to try and sort out<br />
our visas at the arrivals desk.<br />
It was usually $50 but the kind<br />
lady behind the desk, obviously<br />
delighted to see us all in kilts,<br />
explained that if we said we were<br />
there for the wine festival then<br />
we could get a week’s free Visa.<br />
So, after some hilarity, guess<br />
what? We said we were there for<br />
the wine festival.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 63
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 64<br />
We were met outside the airport<br />
by Andrew, a <strong>Moldova</strong>n who we<br />
had befriended on the Tartan<br />
Army Message Board and who<br />
had kindly agreed to meet us on<br />
our arrival. He turned up with<br />
two bottles of local wine and<br />
toasted us into the country. So<br />
there we were, only five minutes<br />
into <strong>Moldova</strong> and already<br />
sampling the local wine. Much<br />
more would follow later.<br />
We arrived at the hotel via a<br />
minibus cab that seemed to<br />
stop and pick up anyone and<br />
everyone, who just piled on and<br />
passed their money down to<br />
the driver. That was quite an<br />
experience.<br />
After a mix-up at the hotel where<br />
they seemed to have lost our<br />
booking, Andrew finally got it all<br />
sorted for us and we dumped<br />
the bags and went in search<br />
of a local sports bar to try and<br />
watch the <strong>Scotland</strong>-Norway<br />
game. We eventually found a bar<br />
but unfortunately we couldn’t<br />
find one with the game on so<br />
we settled for a few beers and<br />
got updates from friends at<br />
Hampden.<br />
After several hours of<br />
refreshments we got the bill<br />
over and Andrew questioned<br />
it. He went back to the<br />
bar and eventually came over<br />
with another bill and explained<br />
that there were different rates<br />
and that they were trying to<br />
John Gold and John Hay show<br />
off the Shetland Tartan Army<br />
flag on the pitch
“I’D HIGHLY RECOMMEND A TRIP TO<br />
MOLDOVA. JUST BE CAREFUL OF THE WINE -<br />
IT CAN BE LETHAL”<br />
John Gold, Donald Willmore, Peter Farquhar and Adam Swift enjoyed Chisinau<br />
charge us the tourist rates, not<br />
knowing that we were sitting in<br />
the company of some <strong>Moldova</strong>ns.<br />
It turned out it was so cheap<br />
anyway that we left a bigger tip<br />
than what they were trying to<br />
charge us in the first place!<br />
After learning of our 1-0 defeat<br />
to Norway, we thought we better<br />
try and cheer ourselves up, so<br />
what better way than to visit<br />
the wine festival? After all, that’s<br />
what we were there for....<br />
Well, what a day was had at the<br />
festival. There were stalls galore<br />
with wine and food and we only<br />
managed to get to a couple of<br />
stalls before we were invited<br />
by one owner to stay behind<br />
his for the day and have wine<br />
and a BBQ with them. This also<br />
helped him bring in the crowds<br />
as everyone wanted photos with<br />
us in our kilts.<br />
Getting back to the hotel was<br />
a bit of a blur, that’s probably<br />
why I woke up in the morning<br />
behind the couch in reception,<br />
much to the amusement of the<br />
receptionist.<br />
Chisinau is quite a place. It<br />
is awash with Soviet-style<br />
architecture and cathedrals and<br />
it’s well worth taking a day out<br />
to tour round the many buildings.<br />
We were glad to have Andrew as<br />
our tour guide.<br />
The pubs and clubs were all<br />
very welcoming, the local food<br />
was excellent and very cheap<br />
and indeed it was one of the<br />
only trips where we actually had<br />
money left at the end, we just<br />
couldn’t spend it.<br />
The match itself was again<br />
another disappointment, ending<br />
1-1 which, to be honest, probably<br />
flattered us as we were poor but<br />
like all TA trips we made some<br />
good friends along the way and<br />
we all lived to party another day.<br />
I’d highly recommend a trip to<br />
<strong>Moldova</strong>. Just be careful of the<br />
wine - it can be lethal.<br />
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 65
HAMPDEN PARK / SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 SCOTLAND v MOLDOVA / 66<br />
SCOTLAND<br />
MANAGER:<br />
Steve Clarke<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
Zander Clark<br />
St. Johnstone<br />
Craig Gordon<br />
Heart of Midlothian<br />
Liam Kelly<br />
Motherwell<br />
Liam Cooper<br />
Leeds United<br />
Declan Gallagher<br />
Aberdeen<br />
Grant Hanley<br />
Norwich City<br />
Jack Hendry<br />
Club Brugge<br />
Scott McKenna<br />
Nottingham Forest<br />
Stephen O’Donnell<br />
Motherwell<br />
Nathan Patterson<br />
Rangers<br />
Andy Robertson<br />
Liverpool<br />
Kieran Tierney<br />
Arsenal<br />
Lewis Ferguson<br />
Aberdeen<br />
Billy Gilmour<br />
Norwich City *<br />
John McGinn<br />
Aston Villa<br />
Callum McGregor<br />
Celtic<br />
Kenny McLean<br />
Norwich City<br />
David Turnbull<br />
Celtic<br />
Ché Adams<br />
Southampton<br />
Ryan Christie<br />
AFC Bournemouth<br />
Lyndon Dykes<br />
Queens Park Rangers<br />
Ryan Fraser<br />
Newcastle United<br />
Kevin Nisbet<br />
Hibernian<br />
*on loan from Chelsea<br />
MOLDOVA<br />
HEAD COACH:<br />
Roberto Bordin<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
Stanislav Namaşco<br />
Keshla Azerbaijan<br />
Dumitru Celeadnic<br />
Sheriff Tiraspol<br />
Cristian Avram<br />
FC Buzău<br />
Iulian-Sebastian Agachi<br />
CSF Balti<br />
Igor Armaș<br />
Voluntari<br />
Oleg Reabciuk<br />
Olympiacos<br />
Veaceslav Posmac<br />
Tuzlaspor<br />
Daniel Dumbrăvanu<br />
Lucchese<br />
Denis Marandici<br />
NK Celje<br />
Vadim Bolohan<br />
Milsami Orhei<br />
Alexandru Belousov<br />
Sheriff Tiraspol<br />
Ion Jardan<br />
Petrocub Hincesti<br />
Maxim Potîrniche<br />
Petrocub Hincesti<br />
Ioan-Călin Revenco<br />
Petrocub Hincesti<br />
Artur Ioniță<br />
Benevento<br />
Vadim Rață<br />
Voluntari<br />
Cristian Dros<br />
Slavia Mozyr<br />
Sergiu Platica<br />
Petrocub Hînceşti<br />
Victor Bogaciuc<br />
Petrocub Hînceşti<br />
Cornel Cotogoi<br />
Petrocub Hînceşti<br />
Ion Nicolaescu<br />
Dunajská Streda<br />
Vitalie Damaşcan<br />
Sepsi OSK Sf. Gheorghe<br />
Nicolae Milinceanu<br />
PAS Giannina<br />
Danu Spătaru<br />
Ararat-Armenia<br />
Nicky Cleșcenco<br />
Sion<br />
Mihail Ghecev<br />
Veres<br />
Radu Gînsari<br />
Milsami Orhei<br />
Alexandru Antoniuc<br />
Milsami Orhei
A SUPPORT LIKE<br />
NO OTHER