THE steep upward trajectory that Andy Robertson's career has taken in the last five years spiked once more last night as Liverpool put one foot in the Champions League final.

A swashbuckling 5-2 win over Roma at Anfield has given the Italian side a mountain to climb if they are to prevent the Scotland international from featuring in a Champions League final in his debut season under Jurgen Klopp.

Within five years, the left-back has gone from the fourth tier of Scottish football with Queen's Park to the very top of continental competition, via Dundee United and Hull City.

Read more: "Andy Robertson is from Glasgow, this explains everything": Liverpool star praised by Italian press

What's more, the 24-year-old is now just 90 minutes away from joining a club so elite that it currently features just one member; Scots who have featured in a final in the Champions League era.Glasgow Times:

The other member: Paul Lambert

Lambert remains the only Scottish player to have stepped onto the pitch in the biggest game in European club football.

The former midfielder played a key part in Borussia Dortmund's 1996/97 triumph, in which they defeated Juventus 3-1 at the Olympiastadion in Munich.

Ottmar Hitzfeld signed him from Motherwell the previous summer, having been impressed by the player during the UEFA Cup meeting between the two sides the previous season.

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Lambert was deployed as a defensive midfielder under his new manager and went on to achieve great success in the role, perhaps best exemplified by his shackling of the great Zinedine Zidane on that night in Munich 21 years ago.

In addition, it was Lambert’s cross that set up Karl-Heinz Riedle for the opening goal as he put in a standout performance.Glasgow Times:

The former St Mirren and Steelmen midfielder that night became the first British player to win the Champions League since its reformation as well as the first Scottish player to win the European Cup with a non-British team.

Lambert only stayed in Germany for one season before returning home to sign for Celtic, but he made sure it was one to remember and he remains a popular figure with the club’s fanbase.

What about Darren Fletcher?

Fletcher was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side that reached three Champions League finals in four seasons, but incredibly failed to feature in any of those matches.

He found himself on the bench for the finals of 2007/08 and 2010/11 against Chelsea and Barcelona respectively, and was cruelly denied a starring role in the 2008/09 showpiece against the Catalan giants through suspension after being sent off in the semi-final against Arsenal.

United launched an appeal to have the Scot available, but it was rejected by UEFA.

Glasgow Times:

Jose Mourinho, at the time in charge of Inter Milan, said: "Fletcher is more important than people think. His work in midfield, especially in the midfield 'wars', in crucial matches is very important. Man United will miss his pace and aggression in defensive actions: he 'eats' opponents in defensive transition. I believe Xavi and Andrés Iniesta are happy Fletch is not playing.”

He may well have been right, as Barca went on to win the game at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome 2-0.

The European Cup era

Scots featured far more regularly at the top table of European competition in the 1980s, at a time when English sides were enjoying great success in the European Cup.

However, the last player from these shores to feature in a final before Lambert was Steve Archibald, who played for Barcelona in their penalty shoot-out defeat to Steaua Bucharest in 1986.

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Liverpool had a large Scottish contingent from 1978 to 1985, with Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness at the heart of it. The trio featured in their triumphs of ‘78, ‘81 and ‘84, with Steve Nicol also involved in the latter victory. In 1985, Nicol, Hansen and Dalglish were joined by John Wark and Gary Gillespie in the Reds lineup as they were defeated 1-0 by Juventus.Glasgow Times:

Three Scots - Allan Evans, Ken McNaught and Des Bremner - started for Aston Villa when they defeated Bayern Munich in 1982, while five of Nottingham Forest’s triumphant side of 1980 were from north of the border: Frank Gray, John McGovern, Kenny Burns, John Robertson and John O’Hare.

Three of those players - McGovern, Burns and Robertson - had already tasted European glory when Forest defeated Malmo in the final of 1979.

Leeds United reached the final in 1975 with a strong Scottish contingent of David Stewart, Frank Gray, Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Joe Jordan and Eddie Gray, but they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich.

Pat Crerand flew the flag for Scotland when he stepped out for Manchester United in their 4-1 win over Benfica in 1968 to become the first English winners of the trophy.

And, of course, there is Celtic’s contribution. The Lisbon Lions famously defeated Inter in 1967 to become Britain’s first winners with a team of players born within 30 miles of the club’s stadium, while the side that suffered defeat to Feyenoord three years later in the final was also entirely made up of Scots.