Kieran Tierney hails Celtic effect on Scotland

BACK in October when Scotland stumbled against Lithuania at Hampden, Kieran Tierney had a ringside view of what went wrong.

An unused substitute, he sat on the bench and watched a national side which started without a single Celtic player held to a 1-1 draw.

With the visitors – one of the weaker teams in the group – the result put a dent in the country’s ambitions of reaching World Cup 2018 almost before the campaign had really got started.

Almost a year on, the return fixture found him right in the thick of it and, afterwards with a thrilling 3-0 victory secured, able to testify to a transformation in which the Scottish club champions have played a leading role.

In the starting XI in Vilnius on Friday night, there were half-a-dozen Hoops, of which Tierney was one.

“We were disappointed with the draw in the first game against Lithuania, everyone in the group knew we could have done better,” he said.

“This time was a big difference. We have come away with three points and a clean sheet, and that on a surface which was tough to play on – trust me.

“There have been a lot of us Celtic lads in for the last few games and I think the results show that it’s working, which is great for the whole country.

“We know each other’s games and, from personal experience, I can testify it has been great to play with familiar faces around me.

“Also, because of our results at club level, there’s a winning mentality in a lot of the team, and that’s good, that’s what you want.

“You go into every game confident you can do the job. There’s pressure on every single game right now, but on Friday we dealt with it in good style.

“And it wasn’t just us. That was a top performance from us all.

“The last few results have been great. Now, hopefully, we can go and do the same against Malta tomorrow night.”

Not all contributions have been equal, with the 20-year-old switched from left to right back in order to accommodate Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, whose extravagant talent was advertised by his 22-yard chip for Scotland’s second.

“It was a great goal and he’s a great player,” said Tierney.

“Left-back to right-back is a big ask.

“The first time I did it was in a World Cup qualifier, but it gives me confidence that the manager believes in me.

“So, wherever I’m told to play, I’ll do my best. I’ll always be a team player.”