After his recall from front-line duties at Hampden on Thursday Kieran Tierney raced to sign up with the Tartan Army.

The 20-year-old Celtic tyro was substituted during the second half of the vital World Cup qualifier which was still scoreless when he went off, late in the game.

And he was as excited as anyone in the stadium when Ikechi Anya, the man who replaced him,fired over the low cross that Martin Skrtel turned into his own net to allow the Scots to move into pole position in the race for a play-off spot.

“I was just like any other fan when I came off for the last five minutes and I celebrated like the supporters when we scored,” Tierney admitted.

“It was good. I really enjoyed that moment.”

“The manager brought on Kech to be the more attacking player wide on the right.

“Playing there limits me in an attacking sense as Robbo (Andy Robertson) goes up all the time on the other side.

“But what a change it was. The manager has called it spot on.

“Kech put a great ball into a dangerous area and we got the winner.

“It was a brilliant feeling and the boys dug in deep.

“The game lasts over 90 minutes and you need to be prepared to go right to the end as you can score at any second.”

There was an additional twist as he found himself celebrating with a player he has looked up to throughout his life.

Tierney was a six-year-old, just starting primar, when Darren Fletcher, Scotland’s captain made his international debut in 2003 and a regular in great Manchester United teams throughout his schooldays.

However it is now Tierney who is among a Scotland and Champions League regular and entitled to be treated by the senior man as one of the boys.

“Fletch was sitting in front of me. He was going mental on the bench and he turned round and cuddled me,” gushed the youngster.

The impression is of an extremely close knit squad that is revelling in the way they have battled back into contention after a near disastrous start to this World Cup campaign.

“The momentum we have in the squad just now and the team spirit is great. We are now just looking forward to the Slovenia game,” said Tierney.

He admitted that there was a fear that time was beginning to run out on Thursday ahead of that last minute decider, but reckoned they had been rewarded for the way they kept believing in themselves.

“You always think you can score but when you hit the bar twice and the keeper is having a great game, you start to worry,” Tierney acknowledged.

“He made some great saves in both halves, especially from Christophe Berra and James Morrison.

“But we had the belief and that’s been the same all the way. We scored a late winner against Slovenia and we did it again.”

Even so he is acutely aware that it was merely a result that gives them an opportunity rather than a significant achievement in its own right.

“The job is nowhere near done yet. We still have a massive game to go through,” said Tierney.

“We will prepare well for it, we will prepare and go into that game full of confidence.”

Against another proficient Eastern European side they are anticipating more of the same.

“We need to be patient. You aren’t going to score every time you go up the park, so it’s important to keep the ball,” he said.

“We need to make Slovenia run and then break them down gradually.

“At this level, there are no easy games. Teams are well organised with great players, so we need to be patient.”