The sole shining light on a dark evening for Scotland on Friday was the senior debut of Lennon Miller. Introduced for the final 21 minutes of a 3-1 loss to Iceland at Hampden, there probably wasn't a worse time for the 18-year-old to register his maiden cap.
That doesn't take away from the pride Miller had in himself after fulfilling a lifelong ambition. "It’s obviously a very proud moment, not just for me but my family as well," he said.
"They were in the stands. It’s never nice to be making your debut in those circumstances - you want to be winning the game. We know we weren’t good enough today. But personally, it’s a proud moment.
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"This is probably right up there with the best things you can achieve as a player. Representing your country at the highest level. I’ve done that now, hopefully there’s a few more [caps]."
Scotland were slow, pedestrian and ever-predictable in a concerning defeat to the country ranked 74th in the world by FIFA.
Miller was one of the few, if any, players wearing dark blue who caught the eye. The midfielder refused to hide despite his team's plight and wasn't afraid to get involved. "Listen, that’s my game, trying to get on the ball. No matter what the score is. No matter what the occasion is, I want to get on the ball and show what I can do.
"You try and build yourself into the game, then when you’ve found your first few passes, you can try and get a bit more adventurous. I had a few nice ones, but also a few that got cut out; that’s just about getting used to the level.
"Obviously, you want to play no matter when you get called up. Last time, I was trying to take everything in and take that back to Motherwell to try and win another call-up and get here to make my debut. Thankfully, I did that."
A trip to face eastern European minnows, Liechtenstein, now awaits Steve Clarke's side. A friendly against the 204th-best team in the world is probably the last thing the likes of Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson will want after an abnormally long and arduous campaign.
In Miller's eyes, it is the perfect opportunity to get the nod and assert himself in the team. "That’s the plan. You want to get your first cap then you want to get a second as quick as you can. That’ll be the plan, to maybe get a wee start. "The manager has said just to get on the ball and show what I can do. What I do at Motherwell is why I’m here."
Making his debut alongside Miller on Friday was young goalkeeper Cieran Slicker. The Ipswich Town man wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn until Robby McCrorie was injured in the warm-up. As is the unpredictable nature of the beautiful game, he was then thrust into action just six minutes into the match after Gunn took a knock to his right leg.
It ultimately turned out to be a nightmarish bow for Slicker, who could undoubtedly have done better for all three of Iceland's goals. Clarke later admitted he wasn't ready to play for his country at the senior level and that a new keeper could be drafted in for Monday's trip to face the Liechtensteiners.
Miller played with the stopper at the under-21 level and has no hesitation that he will bounce back. "It’s Cieran’s first cap, a proud moment. Obviously, you don’t want to concede three goals. Listen, there’s experienced players in there who will get right behind him and who others like myself who have been with Cieran in a few camps now and who will support him. He’s a good goalkeeper, he’s shown that all week in training. He just needs to get his head up.
"I’ve played with him three or four times. Tonight he has made a few mistakes, but that’s the life of a goalie, you are going to make mistakes and they will be highlighted. He will bounce back. He has a brilliant mentality. All goalies need to, to be honest. Cieran will be fine. He will be back stronger. He’s not gone out there and chucked three goals in. It’s mistakes. These things happen as a player. It just gets noticed more as a goalie.
"I’ve had loads of those experiences. As a midfielder, you get away with it a bit more. It’s not as obvious as what Cieran’s is. But he will be fine. He will bounce back."
With just four wins in 21 matches and back-to-back home defeats across which six goals have been conceded, Scotland supporters are rightly concerned as mammoth World Cup qualifiers loom. Denmark, Greece, and Belarus stand in the way of the national team's place in the 48-team tournament that will take place across the Americas next summer.
Clarke's team are in anything but fine fettle with their campaign beginning in September. While a victory over Liechtenstein will raise the mood, the warning signs have arguably been there for some time.
The recent defeat to the Icelanders was Scotland's fifth in nine games since that fateful night in Stuttgart against Hungary almost a year ago. "Yeah, it’s disappointing. Listen, we know we weren’t good enough. We knew Iceland were a good side and they showed that. We know we have levels to get up to, but we weren’t at our best, that’s fair to say."
