Scotland Under-21 0 Czech Republic Under-21 0
It is an appropriate spot for history and the future to collide. A short stroll from the Billy Steel lounge lies a media room named in honour of Doug Cowie.
Both former Dundee players silently testify to greatness past. On the doorstep of their rooms, one can peek out and watch the contenders for future greatness take their steps on to Dens Park.
The world of football has changed, of course. The contenders of today are embroiled in a fast-moving media world and are operating in a culture where pathways are professional rather than training runs along the Tay.
There is, too, the reality that the elite schools are being binned, the authors of a splendid report on football development, Andy Gould and Chris Docherty, have left the Scottish FA, and football academies in Scotland are losing top prospects to England and elsewhere.
It seems an apt background for a bleak night at Dens where the windchill factor bolsters the stadium’s reputation as one of the coldest arenas in Scottish football.
There are gently warming factors, however. The crowd is lifted by boisterous young boys whose mischievous rowdiness indicates a defiance of their fate of supporting Scotland for future generations.
Barney Stewart is beaten to the ball by young Czech powerhouse Ondrej Coudek
On the park, there is a resilience from Scotland. Under the cosh in the first half, a tactical switch improves the attacking performance in the second. Luke Graham, playing on his home turf, is outstanding. Ruairidh Adams, who is on loan to East Fife from Dundee United, is impressive in goal.
Barney Stewart of Falkirk is already on the radar of Steve Clarke and toiled well if ultimately fruitlessly for an hour. Ryan One, the former Hamilton forward now on loan at Lincoln City from Sheffield United,, came on at half-time and used his pace and strength to good effect.
There were almost traditional failings. There seems a national inclination to punt the ball when under pressure. The Czech Republic, particularly in the first half, were more assured in possession.
There is also the issue with physicality. Gordon Strachan, short in stature but prone to outsized political incorrectness, once went down a rabbit hole of genetics when addressing the size of Scottish players.
There was one moment in the second half when the slight James Wilson, who joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Hearts in February and was introduced here for the final half-hour, was confronted by 6ft 5in Czech centre-half Ondrej Kricfalusi. It was an uneven contest in terms of brute strength. If this was a school match, then Kricfalusi would have been reported to the principal for bullying.
It also pointed to a truth about under-age football. Development works at different rates. Wilson, Kyle Ure — who is on loan at Ayr from Celtic — and Dire Mebude of Caykur Rizespor are slight but a scout from an English Premier League club said all three had caught the eye in previous matches.
Wilson is at Spurs for a reason. The forward, just turned 19, already is a full international.
Dundee defender Luke Graham was a standout for the Scots on his home ground of Dens Park
He was in excellent form on his last visit to Dens Park when he scored a hat trick for the Under-21s in a 12-0 win against Gibraltar in October of last year. This was watched by Derek Collins and his nine-year-old son, Lewis, who are both Forfar fans. The return to Dens was not rewarded by goals but father and son are united in their passion for the game.
‘We go to Forfar home and away and attend as many Scotland games as we can,’ says Collins senior. There was even a Forfar link to the match.
‘Dylan Lobban was on loan with us and was excellent,’ he says of the Aberdeen defender. Craig Slater, who currently plays for Forfar, was also an Under-21 player.
The Slater link with the Under-21s extends to Scot Gemmill. Sitting in the Doug Cowie suite after the game against the Czechs, the Scottish coach was surprised to learn that his 10-year anniversary is approaching. Slater’s Under-21 career ended in the same year.
Gemmill was appointed on September 9, 2006. His first match, a defeat against Iceland, produced only one future Scottish full internationalist in Oli McBurnie. But a year later the Scots were beating the Netherlands and Gemmill had Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor, John Souttar, Scott McKenna, Oliver Burke and Lewis Morgan as future full internationalists.
Scotland Under-21 boss Scot Gemmill wasn’t aware he’s coming up for 10 years in the job
‘I did not know that. Can you buy me something nice?’ says Gemmill when told of the upcoming anniversary.
‘What have I learned? What I would like to communicate is that people think it is just Under-21s but it is about different age groups. Each age group has had its different strengths and weaknesses.
‘It is about maximising each group and its potential and hopefully the players with the men’s A team show we are selecting the right players.’
The A team, of course, features two Champions League winners. Andy Robertson of Liverpool was before Gemmill’s time but he did work with Billy Gilmour, who was an unused sub as Chelsea beat Manchester City to win the competition in 2021.
Success for the Under-21s would be to qualify for the European finals. This age group has not done so for 30 years. Gemmill has come close twice, taking the qualification process to the last game.
This campaign is tight. Portugal lead the way and will qualify automatically. Scotland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria vie for the runner-up spot and the subsequent play-off.
Gemmill, delighted with a clean sheet against a strong Czech side, believes there has been development in the group since the reverse fixture. ‘And there should be,’ he adds.
More, of course, will be needed when the Scots take on Portugal in Estoril tomorrow.
‘It’s a really big game,’ he says. ‘It’s exciting to have that challenge ahead of us. They have players playing in the Champions League.’
Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson vies for the ball with Czech counterpart Thomas Jelinek
That’s the dream for David Watson of Kilmarnock. He is already an established player in the Premiership and he relishes taking on top opposition.
‘There is still lots to play for in this group,’ he says, the stains on his jersey silently testifying to a tough night in Dundee. ‘Portugal are absolutely brilliant but we are confident in our ability. They have some really good players but we are going there to try to win,’ he says.
Of the experience, he says: ‘You learn something different. I really enjoy it, playing against guys who are going to be top players.’
He has a chance of being one himself. The pathway now narrows dramatically. Few will journey to the very top in the manner of Robertson and Gilmour. Most will have to settle as journeymen, but there is no shame in that.
Scotland v Czech Republic in March 2026 is now history. It will be intriguing to look back in a few years to see how the boys became men.
