IKECHI ANYA has revealed Scotland's crestfallen players will not need to mope for four months before they can get the 3-1 defeat to England out of their system.

Gordon Strachan told them immediately after the defeat that they were right to feel disappointed at their poor performance against the Auld Enemy.

But the Scotland boss also told them what they had to carry away with them back to their clubs over the winter was the progress they have made.

And Strachan wants them to focus on positives, like the result against the Republic of Ireland on Friday which has fired them right into the mix for a place at the finals of Europa 2016.

Anya is just relieved that this setback against Roy Hodgson's side, painful as it was, did not come in a competitive game when vital points were on the line.

And he wants to use the experience to make himself and the squad stronger.

He said: "We have got to hold our hands up and say England were much better than us and deserved the win.

"We just need to use this as a learning curve and make sure it doesn't happen again, especially in any of the qualifiers."

They begin again in March with the visit of Group D minnows, Gibraltar to Hampden Park. The new boys to international football will carry nothing like the threat of England.

They had a double from Wayne Rooney and opener from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to thank for a comfortable win, with Andy Robertson on the scoresheet for the Scots near the end.

Anya feels it is vital the feelgood factor of the last year-and-a-half is not flushed away by one bad night. He said: "The gaffer has had us in and he tried to take any positives he could out of it, but it is very hard to do. We know we let ourselves down and didn't play anywhere near the level we have done over the last 18 months.

"The manager is just looking forward to March, getting us together again and working on it with us."

Anya is as bemused as Strachan by the change in Scotland between Friday and last night. "I don't know why it was," said the Watford winger, who was peripheral for most of last night.

Anya does know they have been shown how far they have to go before they are ready to compete with Europe's elite.

"We were all full of confidence after the Ireland game," said the Glaswegian.

"But credit to the opposition. England were a lot better than us in every aspect. That's where we need to get to."