Scots tread warily as Faroe Islands come knocking

Scotland bid to slay the demons of one of the worst afternoons in the country's disaster-strewn football history when they face the Faroe Islands in Glasgow today.

Although veteran skipper Paul Lambert is a doubt for the Scots' Euro 2004 qualifier with a knee injury, manager Berti Vogts otherwise has the closest thing to a fully fit squad since he took over from Craig Brown.

And will be keen to ensure there is no repeat of the lackluster display which resulted in his squad having to desperately scramble to ensure a 2-2 draw with the north Atlantic minnows when the two sides met last year.

In the wake of that embarrassing result, on the back of the string of friendly defeats which marred Vogts' takeover, the German World Cup winner's days in charge of Scotland looked numbered.

But he has since defied his critics by turning Scotland's campaign around.

Germany the favorites to clinch the automatic qualifying spot by winning the group but Scotland, who travel to Dortmund next week to face the group leaders, look to have a reasonable chance of second place and a spot in the play-offs for next year's finals in Portugal.

One to today's clash at Hampden Park is the possibility that Portsmouth winger Kevin Harper could become the first black player to play for Scotland since former Celtic star Paul Wilson made a 15-minute appearance against Spain back in 1975.

Prior that the only black player to have represented Scotland at its national sport was Andrew Watson, who captained the national team in the early 1880s.

Harper, 27 and a committed Christian, insists a first cap will mean more to him as a Scot than it will for any broader significance it may carry.

"First and foremost, I want to win my first cap, that's more important. I don't see myself as an inspiration to others, I am a down-to-earth guy who has been privileged by God to have been given a talent to play football.

"Its taken me a long time to get here, I don't want to come here and not get on but there's a lot of people who have been here regularly and it is up to me to bide my time and, when I get the chance, to produce the goods.

"No matter whether I was the first or last black player for Scotland it would be a great occasion if I was to win my first Scottish cap, fantastic for me and my family."