AVOID ANOTHER GREEK TRAGEDY

Naismith senses growth

- BY CRAIG SWAN

STEVEN NAISMITH reckons Scotland have learned the bitter lessons of Greece's Hampden raid.

And Steve Clarke's assistant says the squad are in the best place to right that savage wrong and take a massive step towards the World Cup finals.

Scotland have a huge week at Hampden, hosting the Greeks on Thursday and Belarus on Sunday.

A four-point haul from the opening away doubleheader against Denmark and the Belarusians was a smart start, but the toughness of the upcoming task is laid bare by the fact that Greece stormed Glasgow in March to win their Nations League playoff 3-0 just four days after Clarke's side had triumphed 1-0 in Athens.

Naismith, below, was in a TV pundit chair that night and getting the feeling as a fan. This time, he'll be at the heart of the battle in the home technical area.

More than six months have passed but it’s still fresh in the memory of Clarke's No.2.

Naismith said: “It’s the small details in the game. At Hampden we had good opportunities and then, positionally, small details in the game, cost you big, It shows you how quick a game can get away from you.

“The away result against Greece was excellent. Coming home and the performance here wasn't good enough.

“But we've got a clear idea of what needs to be better, what were really good at as a team and the confidence is really high. The squad dynamic here at the moment, I don’t think we've been in a better place.