Scotland captain Darren Fletcher feels continuity can help them in their quest to end a 20-year wait for an appearance at a major finals.

Gordon Strachan takes charge of his second opening qualifier on Sunday when Scotland take on Malta and is now the longest-serving manager since Craig Brown, the last man to lead the national team to a summer tournament.

Fletcher has played under all of Brown's successors - Berti Vogts, Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, George Burley and Craig Levein too - and is glad that Strachan remained in position after failing to lead Scotland to the European Championship in France.

The appetite for further change was not present in the Scottish Football Association and the Scotland fans who helped persuade Strachan to stay on during their last Euro 2016 group game against Gibraltar.

And Fletcher hopes it can help Scotland get off to a good start against a side which employs a five-man defence.

The West Brom midfielder said: "The thing that gives me the most belief is the continuity in the management side of things.

"Throughout my career it's been stop-start all the time. We've done really well under managers and that's been cut short because they've gone to clubs off the back of that.

"And then there has been the times where managers haven't done so well and we've had to start all over again halfway through a campaign.

"With the manager staying and going again for another campaign it's good.

"There were a lot of positives from the last campaign in terms of the way we approached games and attacked teams. That continuity and with the young exciting players we've got and regulars we've got a real good blend and balance that I believe can take us forward.

"We all know how the manager wants to play and what he likes his players to do in certain positions but we didn't qualify for the last tournament and he's always looking to expand new ideas.

"But we've got that solid base where we know what he expects."

Fletcher's presence in the squad also allows Strachan to retain some stability despite losing previous skipper Scott Brown to international retirement.

"It's nice to be captain again," the 32-year-old said. "It's something I took great pride in. Circumstances meant that I wasn't captain for a while but Scott did a fantastic job and then I was there beside him.

"But things change quickly in football and it's me who is hoping to lead the country in this campaign and looking to qualify."

Steven Naismith this week highlighted how crucial the Malta clash was, arguing it could be the difference between qualifying or not if Scotland fail to win.

But Fletcher is taking a longer-term perspective.

"You stress the importance of the a victory before every game, no matter who you play," the former Manchester United player said.

"You want to start campaigns well and get as many points on the board as possible and start as strongly as you can.

"It gives you a bit of confidence going forward but at the same time it doesn't guarantee qualification and not starting well doesn't mean you are out of it.

"It's about getting there in the end and getting enough points to get you into the position of either qualifying automatically or second place for the play-offs.

"We'll take it from a slow start or a quick start, whatever way it comes. It's a highly competitive group and everyone will feel like they can win games and take points from each other.

"But we've had good starts in the past and not qualified so it's not the be all and end all."