Darren Fletcher has praised Scotland's determination following their last-gasp win over Liechtenstein.
Scotland midfielder takes positives from narrow win
Darren Fletcher has praised Scotland's determination following their last-gasp victory over Liechtenstein on Tuesday night.
Craig Levein's men were seconds away from being held to a 1-1 draw by the minnows at Hampden Park in their second Euro 2012 qualifier.
But Stephen McManus popped up seven minutes into stoppage-time to spare Scotland the ignominy of dropping points against a nation with a population of around 35,000.
Midfielder Fletcher insists there were positives to take away from the game, saying the players will be stronger for the experience.
"It's a win, that's all that matters," said the Manchester United player. "It doesn't matter if you score in the first minute or the last minute, the most important thing is winning the match for three points.
"I think we showed great courage all night. We showed great resilience and battled right to the end.
"We kept trying to get the ball wide and put crosses into the box because they made it difficult to play through the middle of them.
"You have just got to keep believing. It's not over until the final whistle. Many teams have won games in the last minute.
"Sometimes it gives you some confidence to know that you have not played well but you have shown great determination to score late on."
Frustration
Scotland were booed by some supporters as they left the field at half-time and Fletcher can understand why feelings were running high.
"The crowd got frustrated and they have got every right to be frustrated," said the 26-year-old.
"The most important thing is that frustration doesn't transform the players and they start hiding.
"That's what you saw last night. When the crowd did get a bit disappointed, no-one hid.
"Everyone still wanted the ball and to me that's very pleasing. Because it can happen that way, that you play within yourselves and let the crowd affect us. We didn't do that.
"We understand their frustrations and we were frustrated ourselves but it's about staying positive and keeping believing in yourselves that you're going to get a result."
Special moment
Fletcher earned his 50th international cap against Liechtenstein and, despite the milestone being overshadowed by the drama on the pitch, he was still proud of the accomplishment.
"It's a special moment. To represent your country is fantastic but to get 50 caps and enter the hall of fame is a nice moment for me and my family," he said.
"But the most important thing was the three points and to qualify for a major tournament.
"Caps are great and making 50 caps is great but the reason you play for your country is to play in a major tournament and that's what everyone in the squad wants."
