THOSE who complained about the pricing policy for Scotland's Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar were today counting the cost of their folly.

It wasn't just the fact the 6-1 scoreline meant they paid, on average, only a fiver per goal.

No, the real value lay in the fact they got to see history in the making - not once, but twice.

Steven Fletcher became the first player to score a hat-trick for Scotland since Colin Stein knocked four past Cyprus in 1969.

That was the 36th time a Scot had taken the match ball home.

The long wait for hat-trick No.37 says more about how minnows have improved, especially defensively, than about any paucity in quality strikers to wear Dark Blue.

Think Joe Jordan, Kenny Dalglish. Even Denis Law - who scored three hat-tricks for Scotland, couldn't get another, despite playing on for five years after Stein's quartet against Cyprus.

So hats off to Fletcher, though his feat is not what will have made headlines around the footballing world.

It wasn't quite a JFK moment. But, few who witnessed it will forget where they were when Gibraltar scored their first-ever goal in a competitive international.

You can be sure David Marshall won't.

He was the unlucky man to become the only keeper in history to have picked the ball out of his net in a game against the men from the Rock.

The shockwaves created when a defensive disconnect by the Scots allowed Lee Casciaro to equalise just one minute after Shaun Maloney had put Scotland in front from the spot - having been brought down by keeper Jamie Robba - would have sent a tremor even through the Rock of Gibraltar.

It certainly shook up Scotland, and manager Gordon Strachan, who turned away in disbelief at the 19th-minute moment of madness.

It was bad enough it had taken Scotland longer than any other country before them to take the lead against Gibraltar, five minutes beyond their previous best of 12 minutes.

The anxiety Strachan had predicted half in jest would come dripping from the stands if they were not ahead within the first five minutes was palpable.

Fortunately, the men wearing Dark Blue shirts and bright red faces were shaken and stirred by Gibraltar's temerity, and quickly regrouped to score the goals everyone - bookies included - had anticipated.

By half-time, world order was restored, and Scotland were 4-1 up against a nation only just accepted by Uefa as good enough to play with the big boys.

To put it in context, Gibraltar has a population numbering less than 30,000 - roughly equivalent to the crowd which attended last week's Hampden friendly against Northern Ireland - from which to pull together a team.

But, Scotland really don't feel comfortable when it comes to minnow mashing. So no one expected a new high-score record.

The 11-0 against Ireland has been the benchmark for the past 114 years - and it's likely to remain that.

With goal difference in the games involving Gibraltar not a factor in deciding who qualifies from this ultra-tight group, a professional approach and performance was more of a priority if the Scotland camp was to be spared any of the nerves which previous horror shows against Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Luxembourg had brought to our door.

Gibraltar's interim boss, Kilwinning-born David Wilson, knows all about our struggles of the past.

He has also now shown he knows how to give his side a hint of an attacking presence, even if defending remains anathema to them.

Poland and the Republic of Ireland didn't take their foot off the gas as they both thumped Gibraltar 7-0 in the first two games they played in Group D.

By the time the men from the rocky outcrop jutting into the Mediterranean went in against Georgia, they had started to improve.

That helped restrict the deficit that day to a 3-0 defeat, almost a moral victory for the Gibraltareans.

And there would have been rejoicing when they managed to emerge from their game against world champions Germany having shipped only four.

Mind you, that would have been nothing compared to the cheers when Casciaro got their goal at Hampden.

The same player proved he is better up front than at the back, his clumsy tackle on Steven Naismith handing Scotland there second penalty, again put away easily by Maloney.

By then, Fletcher had been the man to put Scotland back into the lead, capitalising on some awful defending and shocking goalkeeping to nod home his first goal since 2009.

Strachan was clearly still unhappy by what he had been watching, and hastily convened a team meeting on the sideline during a break in play while Anthony Bardon received treatment.

The result was immediate, James Morrison combining with Ikechi Anya, whose cross from the byline was straight to the foot of Naismith. His shot was unerring, and Scotland were 4-1 up.

The question after the break was, could Maloney, Naismith or Fletcher grab that elusive hat-trick?

The back door was certainly tightly shut, Strachan accepting his 3-2-3-2 formation was too porous and Gordon Greer replacing Matt Ritchie at the interval.

That made for something of a lull in the scoring, until Fletcher got his head to a cross from Jordan Rhodes - on for Naismith - and planted his second of the day in the corner of the net.

The stage was set for a grandstand finish and head-to-head between Maloney and Fletcher in the hat-trick stakes.

The Sunderland man sent everyone home happy by curling in an injury-time shot to complete the conquering of the Rock.

So, a banana skin has been avoided and Scotland have reached 10 points in their quest to reach France 2016.

But, already, plans are being formulated to ensure that, when they meet Gibraltar again on the final day of the qualifying programme, the only history made involves Scotland reaching a major finals for the first time since 1998.