Freed from life desire

Fuelled by agony of missing out on 1990, Clarke tells of joy at finally fulfilling his ambition

- BY MICHAEL GANNON

IT wasn't just 28 years of Tartan Army pain that evaporated into the Hampden sky the other night.

Steve Clarke's personal World Cup anguish was finally put to bed as the legendary Scotland manager achieved a lifelong dream.

Little wonder the gaffer savoured those incredible scenes at the National Stadium.

Rewind 35 years and the picture could not have been more different for him.

Clarke was part of Andy Roxburgh's 26-man group that headed to Genoa in the spring of 1990 as part of their buildup for the World Cup in Italy a few months later.

By the time the boarding passes were handed out that summer, the then Chelsea right-back was left in the departure lounge.

It was another kick in the teeth for a player who'd been close to making it to Mexico four years earlier.

And Clarke was still knocking on the door for France in 1998. He enjoyed a stellar career on the pitch and then off it as one of the best coaches and then managers in the business.

But that unfinished World Cup business has fuelled him ever since and that's what somehow made Tuesday night's epic against Denmark even more special.

Clarke said: "I've been involved in football for a long time and you have always got that motivation to do good things with your club or wherever you are at. It was always in my mind that I would love to go to a World Cup. I got close in 1990.

"I was in the squad that went to Italy for a pre-camp in February and I didn't make the final selection.

"From there, there was always a motivation to get there. When we messed up against Ukraine [in 2022] I was disappointed.