Poland 0 Scotland 1: Gordon Strachan gives Allan McGregor hope despite sticking with Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall

Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall has been told by Gordon Strachen that he must maintain his best form to keep out Allan McGregor (Getty Images)

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has assured Allan McGregor that the position of number one goalkeeper is still up for grabs.

Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall played 90 minutes of the 1-0 Warsaw friendly victory over Poland and carried his club form into the international arena with some important saves.

But Strachan insists the decision was for Wednesday night only and he expects some even tougher decisions when the Euro 2016 qualifiers begin in September.

Strachan said: "I spent about one hour and 40 minutes making decisions on Tuesday night. And that says a lot. If you have to spend one hour and 40 minutes talking tactics and who to pick and who not to pick, then you know the squad is getting stronger.

"(Steven) Naismith and (Steven) Fletcher, toss of a coin. Marshall and McGregor, toss of a coin. It's good I have these problems although they are not real problems at the moment when you are picking a team for these friendlies. When it comes to the nitty gritty it gets tougher."

Scotland are now unbeaten in five games and Scott Brown's powerful strike in the 78th minute secured a third consecutive victory.

Scotland's improvement in just over 13 months under Strachan has been significant but the manager is looking to move to the next level.

"We are hard to beat and I want to take us a stage further," Strachan said. "That's what I want to do. It's up to the players to take us a stage further.

"At the moment we are trying to make sure we retain the ball better, so the other team has less chances."

PA