Football: Scotland in parsimonious mood

Road to Euro 2000: Brown's World Cup veterans make unspectacular but sturdy start to campaign: Lithuania 0 Scotland 0 Attendance: 4,8

SCOTLAND, LAUNCHING their campaign to reach the European Championship finals on a ground built on the site of a cemetery, avoided the fate that might have led to Zalgiris Stadium going down in folklore as the graveyard of their qualifying prospects.

They did not do so with any great style, carving only two chances against a physical Lithuanian team. Both came late on, Ally McCoist being denied a comeback goal by a last-ditch tackle and Colin Hendry sending a free header over the bar in stoppage time. But the outcome at least represented a return to the defensive meanness which took them to two successive major tournaments.

The setting could hardly have been more different from Scotland's previous match, the crushing anticlimax that was their elimination from the World Cup against Morocco in St Etienne. The Lithuanian capital is famous for amber - known in the Baltics as "the gold of the north" - and the small, tree-lined bowl was appropriately bathed in autumnal sunshine.

Around 300 Tartan Army footsoldiers assembled, fittingly, in the blue section of the 6,000 plastic seats which the host nation bought in a job lot from Rangers; a vivid contrast with the 20,000 who had roared their defiance following Scotland's demise in France.

Craig Brown's team selection was more familiar, however, with seven of those who had departed the global stage 74 days earlier beginning the match. Extraordinarily, Scotland started with only one player, Christian Dailly, not at least into his 30th year. Their average age was nearly 32, compared with the Lithuanians' 25.

Darren Jackson, suspended on that fateful night in June, appeared over- eager to make his presence felt. Within 25 seconds of the kick-off he clattered into Raimondas Zutautas but came off worse and had to be carried off. He resumed after treatment as the match settled into an attritional midfield struggle with neither goalkeeper unduly troubled until the 23rd minute.

Matt Elliott, on his competitive debut for his adopted country, then conceded a free-kick near the corner flag as Lithuania probed Scotland's right flank. The free-kick by Deividas Semberas picked out the rangy Edgaras Jankauskas, the striker for whom Bruges paid Torpedo Moscow pounds 1.25m, and his downward header forced a fine one-handed save from Jim Leighton.

The 40-year-old keeper, widely blamed for Scotland's summer woes, had earlier dived to smother a low drive by Aidas Preiksaitis. Scotland survived further scares as half-time approached, Jackson heading off the line when a Semberas corner threatened to creep in at the far post and a snap shot by Preiksaitis flashed past Leighton's left-hand upright.

Brown's creative axis, John Collins and Paul Lambert, were seldom allowed time on the ball by aggressive opponents. As a result, McCoist was more frequently to be seen working back or making fruitless runs than in the area where the born-again predator is still dangerous as he approaches his 36th birthday.

The appearance of the 20-year-old Barry Ferguson in place of Jackson early in the second half not only gave Scotland fresh legs, but was a declaration of positive intent by Brown. The Rangers midfielder is a true craftsman and many good judges back him to become the Scottish international playmaker Paul McStay never quite developed into. Yet whether a rugged encounter on a rutted surface was the ideal environment for his talents seemed doubtful.

The Romanian referee regularly had to halt proceedings as players fell to the turf, though this was due more to the messy nature of the contest than to genuine malice.

Hendry, for example, did not take kindly to being bundled on to the concrete track by Semberas, but contented himself with a stern glance at the Lithuanian.

For all that, Brown must have been satisfied with the way his defence had warmed to their task against Jankauskas and Grazydas Mikulenas, whose last appearance against Scottish opposition had brought him two goals in a Uefa Cup match at Aberdeen. Elliott, initially unrecognisable as the commanding figure he cuts in the Premiership, enjoyed a far more assured time after the interval.

The Scotland manager also felt sufficiently comfortable to bring on two more young players for their first caps,Callum Davidson and Neil McCann. The former took over from Dailly on the left with his new Blackburn colleague switching to the right in place of Colin Calderwood.

Davidson's first real involvement in international football, an excitable challenge on Aurelitus Skarbalius within two minutes, earned him a yellow card.

Scotland, though, seemed more than content to start the long road to Euro 2000 with a point and a clean sheet.