Optimism is unfamiliar for us younger Scotland fans - but Steve Clarke and his men have changed the script

Like many other Scotland fans, I wasn’t old enough to remember this moment.

I was one-year-old the last time Scotland took part in the World Cup. Up until this point, I had only ever felt the bitter disappointment of trying and consistently failing, the relentlessly expected mediocrity.

But that has all changed now.

There was a palpable excitement in Edinburgh in the hours leading up to Scotland’s first World Cup fixture in 28 years.

The bunting had been put out and flags were being flown from pubs, corner shops, even hairdressers were getting in on the action.

By 2pm, the Scotland shirts began popping up throughout town despite there still being another 12 hours to go until Scotland ended its World Cup drought.

The thought of Scotland on the world’s biggest stage made my stomach lurch with uncertainty.

Flashes of recent Euros attempts came to me throughout the days leading up to the match - the sheer high before Scotland took to the pitch against Germany in 2024 and then coming crashing down to Earth as Germans dismantled us within minutes; the previous Euros tournament when the country only had one chance to celebrate an inconsequential goal throughout a dismal campaign.

This time it was the World Cup. We’d made it, but now there was a job to go one step further.

Powered by a mixture of caffeine, afternoon naps and beer, our plans for the evening saw us heading to The Pitt in the Granton area of Edinburgh to watch on the big screen alongside hundreds of others.

Anticipation was building as the Tartan Army poured into the courtyard, the big screen we’d all be sharing that evening shining down on us.

It was an amazing feeling to be amongst fellow fans beaming with national pride as we belted out songs and chants ahead of kick-off.

The moment John McGinn hit the back of the net in the 28th minute is one I’ll never forget.

I teared up as my husband scooped me into his arms and strangers around me became like friends I’d known for years.

If you could bottle the sheer euphoria that rippled throughout the crowd in that moment and sell it, you’d be a billionaire.

Of course there were 60 more minutes to be played, most of which I watched from behind my hands. The second half went by as a blur and the anxiety continued to rise as Haiti pushed for an equaliser.

We had seen it enough times to know that more often than not, it won’t land in our favour in the end.

It wasn’t pretty but remarkably, somehow, this time it did.

Optimism is a strange and unfamiliar feeling as a Scotland fan. We’re usually just happy to be there for the party, if we even get there in the first place.

We’ve got work to do against Morocco and Brazil but for the first time in my life, I have a national team who I truly believe can do something special.