Steve Clarke keen to assess how close Scotland have got to England

Steve Clarke once got into trouble for losing his younger brother on a trip to see Scotland play England at Wembley.

The Scotland manager hopes to gain a lot more from the latest in the series of the world’s oldest international fixture.

The two teams meet at Hampden on Tuesday to mark the 150th anniversary of the first international – a goalless draw at the West of Scotland Cricket Club in Partick.

Clarke’s side go into the game on a high having won 11 qualifying matches in a row. Friday’s 3-0 victory in Cyprus made it five wins from five in the Euro 2024 qualifiers and kept open the possibility of Scotland qualifying on Tuesday.

But Clarke will put aside thoughts of Germany next summer as Scotland host a side who will provide a stern test of their recent progress, as well as sparking memories of previous meetings.

When asked for his own, Clarke referenced a famous Wembley win in 1977 and his own more difficult experience two years later.

Clarke said: “Gordon McQueen, header, the big man sadly no longer with us. I remember that one, he jumped so high, an incredible, incredible goal.

“I remember as a young man, the year Scotland fans got banned from going to Wembley, I remember being there. My sister and her husband lived in London at that time and he was in the Met Police so he managed to get a couple of tickets for us.

“I remember somewhere between the stadium and getting back to my sister’s house, I lost my younger brother Michael and my sister gave me an absolute hell of a time.

Ahead of our 150th Anniversary Heritage Match, @andrewrobertso5 and Harry Kane met at the West of Scotland Cricket Club – the site where Scotland and England contested the first ever international match in 1872