ALLY MCCOIST performed another international rescue act last night as he marked his 50th appearance for Scotland in the way he knows best with a Hampden Park match winner against Australia.
McCoist's 53rd minute header gave Craig Brown's side a victory on a potentially embarrassing night against Eddie Thomson's hard working visitors.
It had been billed as a warm up for the European Championships, but the Tartan Army's response was cool to say the least. The official attendance was given as 20,608, but there were empty spaces all round the stadium in the side's last home game before three away friendlies ahead of Euro `96.
Local hero McCoist claimed most attention with his 18th international goal on his night as Scotland captain, but once again the Scots were indebted to the reactions of 37 year old goalkeeper Jim Leighton.
Overall, it was a low key display by the Scots, although Blackburn's Kevin Gallacher certainly galvanised the side after half time in his first international appearance for 28 months after two broken legs.
McCoist's honour made him the 18th member of the Scottish FA's Hall of Fame for players who have hit the hall"century.
The 33 year old Rangers striker was partnered by Chelsea's John Spencer, who used to clean his boots at Ibrox.
Brown gave a debut to 23 year old Celtic defender Brian O'Neil, while Paul McStay was back for his first match in a year to collect his 73rd cap.
It took Scotland fully 25 minutes to test Aston Villa's Australian goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich, and even that came from a set apiece after Tony Popovic fouled Billy McKinlay. John Collins fired in a left foot shot from the free kick, hut Bosnich took off to tip the ball away.
Three minutes later the Chelsea combination of Craig Burley and Spencer engineered a chance but from Spencer's low cut back McCoist was just a yard short of turning the ball into the net.
Those were the two highlights of a dismal first half display by the Scots, with a long range shot by O'Neil the only other effort of note and even that failed to trouble Bosnich, as it went wide.
Australia, with five players from clubs in England in their starting line up, were content to sit with nine and 10 men behind the ball for long periods. But the lack of imagination from a Scotland side including play makers like Gary McAllister, McStay and Collins was alarming as they prepare for their summer tests against Holland, England and Switzerland.
McStay and O'Neil were sacrificed at half time as Brown sent on Gallacher for his first match since November 1993 and Scott Booth. It meant a switch to 4-4-2 with Spencer in a deeper role.
With 53 minutes gone. Scotland broke the deadlock. Gallacher won the ball on the left and when the cross came in. Booth left it for McCoist to power a downward header beyond
Bosnich from around 10 yards.
It was a typical predator's goal from McCoist, who admits of dreaming of scoring against England at Wembley this summer.
Two minutes later Scotland were indebted to another veteran, Leighton, as the Hibernian man plunged to his left to push aside a shot by Millwall's Jason van Blerk.
Spencer had a chance to make it 2-0 after 67 minutes from a Collins cross, but Bosnich pushed his header over the bar. With 10 minutes left, McCoist went off to a big ovation as Tranmere's Pat Nevin came on.
