WE'RE WELL ON OUR CHE

Clarke urges the Tartan Army to roar his men towards World Cup after win sets us up for crucial double-header

- FROM KEITH JACKSON IN HUNGARY

STEVE CLARKE last night called on the punters to pack out the National Stadium and roar his side towards the next World Cup - after having to do the hard work without them here.

A 2-0 win over Belarus behind closed doors has perfectly set up the Hampden doubleheader, with Clarke's side joint top of Group C with Denmark two games into a six-match sprint to the line.

But the manager admitted afterwards that he will never forget the eerie sound of silence which greeted his players as a punishment for Belarus supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. And he said: "It's a night you'll probably never forget anyway because you expect to play World Cup qualifiers away from home in front of a hostile crowd and a difficult atmosphere.

"But you just didn't have that tonight.

"Football is for fans and when we drove into the stadium tonight there was a wee group of Tartan Army there to walk us into the stadium.

"Then, when we kicked off, there was somebody over in the corner trying to shout in through the fence.