'He's brought...': 11-goal Scotland star sends message to Steve Clarke amid honest assessment of Belarus win

The 29-year-old Torino forward opened the scoring at Hampden, with Scott McTominay grabbing the clinching second goal, but Gleb Kuchko’s injury-time consolation left the home crowd nervous in the final seconds of the game, and Adams admits head coach Steve Clarke was as angry as he’s seen him at half-time, with Scotland’s performance not up to scratch.

“He was not a happy chap at half-time,” said Adams. “I think he was right in what he said, and we came out in the second-half firing. We needed to start quickly and put the game to bed. I think it was just a bit of frustration [from Clarke], wanting the team to do better and perform better for the fans. Obviously, it’s two massive games that we’ve had, he felt that we came off it in the first half, but listen, he's got every right to, and it gave us a kick up the backside.”

The win, coupled with Denmark’s 3-1 victory over Greece, means that Scotland can finish no lower than second in Group C, confirming they will have at least a play-off spot. However, despite the victory, a smattering of boos was heard at the full-time whistle from the home support. Adams says he understands why fans felt aggrieved, but with top spot - and automatic qualification - still available, he has urged the supporters to stick together in order to achieve their World Cup dream.

“We’ve got much more to give,” said Adams. “It’s two poor performances, but two positive results, so that's what matters in the end. We probably have to give a better account of ourselves than we did today [against Greece and Denmark next month]. We know how strong Greece were the other day. Now we know what to expect now and and how difficult it can be. Everyone knows if you want to make a World Cup, you have got to have these difficult times. It's about mentality, and the will to win.”

“Everyone wants to...”

“I think that comes with experience, and getting to these sorts of competitions like the Euros. Everyone wants to give a good account of themselves, because we know we didn't do that in previous times. But it’s three points, and six points in total. We have to go again next time. It comes in swings and roundabouts, and it's all about mentality.

“We know the other day against Greece, and we weren't at a level again [against Belarus], but we managed to get the points on the board to go into the next campaign. We have got to be better, and we know it. That’s now 72 appearances for the management team. It's a great achievement. Everyone's happy, he's [Clarke] brought so much happiness to the nation, and it’s time we gave back to him.”

Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here.