Sir Kenny Dalglish: UEFA should take a look at Dykes and Christie bans

This morning I have a wee personal plea for Andy Robertson and the Scotland players.

When we go to Moldova next month, looking for the three points that will get us into the World Cup play-offs, don’t leave it until the last minute again.

Please.

I don’t know if my heart will be able to stand it!

Last Saturday night, Hampden Park had a full-house for a Scotland game for the first time in many years.

What a difference they made.

I firmly believe that without the backing of the Tartan Army, we would have struggled to get the vital three points we needed to keep us in the driving seat for a chance to be in Qatar for the Finals next winter.

We came from behind twice to secure the victory, thanks to Scott McTominay’s last-gasp goal.

Apart from the fans, we also had heroes on the pitch.

Step forward Lyndon Dykes. He, more than most, deserves a special mention.

Over the two games, he played an unbelievable part as we defeated first Israel, then the Faroe Islands.

His goal at Hampden was quite extraordinary. It was a finish of the highest quality.

We also had to thank VAR for showing the goal should have stood, it was the same again in Torshavn.

What also impressed me was that Lyndon kept going against Israel, despite missing a penalty in the first-half.

Many players would have crumbled, and let their heads go down. But Lyndon showed great mental strength to recover his composure and lead from the front.

He then took that positivity into Tuesday night in the Faroes, and made sure he was in and around the six-yard box to get in there for Nathan Patterson’s cross in the closing minutes.

Yeah, it may well have hit off of his tummy and was perilously close to his arm. But who cares?

I certainly don’t.

Yes, we didn’t play well in midweek, but we showed tremendous spirit and determination to keep going. We didn’t panic.

We also need to give the Faroes some credit as they performed very well.

Clearly, gone are the days when we can go away from home to such countries and expect to win by three or four goals.

Should we care that we didn’t play free-flowing football, and had to rely on Craig Gordon to make two really good saves?

I certainly don’t.

Look, up until last summer when we qualified for the Euros, we had failed to make a major tournament in 10 attempts.

The campaign to get to Austria and Switzerland in 2008 was one of our better efforts when we defeated France home and away.

But we ended up with nothing for our efforts.

So that’s why we must cherish getting three points when we haven’t played well.

In fact, sometimes it feels even sweeter to win when we’ve been below par.

We have now put ourselves in a great position to make the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup Finals.

Next up is away to Moldova. We need the three points, and I’m sure we will get them.

We will go there without big Lyndon and Ryan Christie, who are both suspended.

That is something I think UEFA should really have a good look at.

To me, being ruled out of a game after two bookings in a 10-game qualifying campaign is more than a little unfair.

Would it not be better to wipe the disciplinary slate clean halfway through the qualifiers? It’s just a thought.

I also think Lyndon is very unlucky to be sitting the game out. His booking against the Faroes was harsh.

Their player made a right meal of the big man’s attempt to win the ball, and the referee fell for it.

We can still get the required result without Lyndon and Ryan.

We have won the games we needed to win over the last few days – on top of the win in Austria – and that is why we are in this great position.

It was only last month that questions were being asked of Steve Clarke after the heavy defeat away to Denmark.

The SFA were thrown under the microscope for giving him a new deal.

I supported Steve, and that decision, back then as I’ve always felt he is the right man to lead our country forward.

Once again, with the backing of everyone next month, we can achieve something special and enjoy celebrations the way we did when we defeated Serbia on penalties.

Get the job done in Moldova, and the Tartan Army will be there at Hampden to congratulate the boys before, during and after the final qualifier against Denmark.