CHRIS MARTIN was always confident Scotland would turn the screw against Slovakia – and the striker feels that growing belief can propel them even further as they prepare for Sunday’s World Cup qualifying group finale.
Martin played an integral role in Scotland’s late victory, putting Martin Skrtel under pressure following Ikechi Anya’s cross as the visiting skipper sliced the ball past his own goalkeeper, Martin Dubravka.
Dubravka had looked invincible, pulling off a world-class stop from Christophe Berra, twice saving well from Leigh Griffiths and denying James Morrison and Andy Robertson from close range.
Martin and Griffiths were both denied by the crossbar and it looked like being another near-miss for the Scots against the 10-man Slovakians, but smart play from Griffiths and a dangerous cross from Anya saw Gordon Strachan’s side move second in Group F with just Slovenia to play.
“I always felt confident,” said Martin, who replaced James Forrest on the hour mark. “When I came on I was involved as a striker. We were getting plenty of balls forward in and around their box so I always felt we were going to get chances.
“I think that was probably the key – we kept believing. We have worked very, very hard in this campaign to get to a point like this and we didn’t want to throw it away. I think you saw that belief and that character to keep going.
“Sometimes in a game you do feel it’s not quite going to be your day. Maybe the fans watching were getting a bit frustrated. But on the pitch we just kept trying to do our job basically, just keep getting the ball wide and moving the ball around.”
Qualification for Scotland looked a long shot at the turn of the year after successive 3-0 defeats by Slovakia and England left them with four points from four games. But Martin’s late winner against Slovenia kick-started a charge which has seen them move to 17 ahead of Sunday’s clash in Ljubljana.
“We have gained real momentum over the last few months with the performances and results we have had,” the Derby striker said.
“Winning breeds confidence and the performances on top of that, that’s why you saw saw the confidence in the lads.
“We are playing a hell of a lot better than we were towards the start of the campaign and hopefully we will get the rewards for the hard work we have put in, not just in this campaign but in previous campaigns where we have been unlucky.
“We have great belief and togetherness in the squad. We believe in each other and the manager, and what we are doing, and the plan in front of us. That shows in the results, but also in the tough times where we are up against it, we still carry on believing in each other.
“Up to this point it has worked, but we know there is a massive job still to do.”
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