Scotland coach Steve Clarke insists the focus must be on World Cup qualifiers as he prepares for what will be a personal milestone against Belarus on Sunday.
Clarke will coach the national team for the 72nd time, overtaking Craig Brown as the longest-serving Scottish manager in terms of appearances.
Scotland is currently undefeated after three matches in the qualifiers and is equal on points with group leader Denmark after its exit from the qualifiers Greece won 3-1 on Thursday.
Securing a direct or play-off place therefore remains a realistic goal for Scotland, who are hoping to end a 28-year absence from World Cup finals.
Clarke insists that will be the focus of their preparations ahead of Belarus’ visit to Hampden Park.
Speaking about his longevity, Clarke said: “I’d be a bit stupid if I wasn’t proud to be the first man to reach that number of caps.
“It’s nice, but this is a bit personal at the moment. It shouldn’t be about me. It’s about the team and it’s about trying to get to the World Cup, so that’s what we’ll focus on.”
“The brief was to qualify for the tournaments. We managed to do it twice, but we want to do it again because we are all greedy. The expectation was to do my best. I always looked at the players and thought: ‘What can we do to improve?’ Did I think it would last this long? Maybe not, but here I am.”
A win over Belarus, coupled with a defeat of Greece in Copenhagen, would at least guarantee a play-off place for Scotland, but Clarke will be without Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie, who scored on Thursday but are now suspended.
Aaron Hickey, who stumbled for the game, is also a doubt.
Clarke is aware of the challenge facing his players, but believes that similar occasions during his time in office have given him reason for optimism.
“During my tenure, we performed well against the so-called teams lower in the groups, and it is very important to get points from these teams,” Clark said.
“It’s very important that we get points from Belarus. They will come here, they will be organised, they will be difficult to break down and to beat them it will be a long night.
“They will make it difficult but it’s up to us to make sure we get the game right, which we will do. It’s up to us to make sure we create enough chances in the game to get the fans excited, which we hope to do.”
“The fans need to support the players, the players need to give the fans something to shout about and that is what we will try to achieve.”
Scotland face Belarus at Hampden Park on Sunday, with the match kicking off at 17:00 UK time.
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