Shaun of the best as Scotland see off Republic of Ireland

While all eyes were on the return of Aiden McGeady, it was another Old Bhoy, Shaun Maloney, who got the all-important goal with 15 minutes of the war of attrition between Gordon Strachan's Scots and Martin O'Neill's Republic of Ireland remaining.

After four games played, the victory hoisted Scotland level with the Irish on seven points as the qualification race goes into hibernation until March when Gibraltar come to Glasgow.

More importantly, it brought to a halt - albeit temporarily - the Republic's bandwagon which had carried them to joint top of Group D.

This was a huge result on a huge night, though the sideshow that was McGeady's return to Paradise did create something of a pantomime atmosphere, the away support cheering his name while the home fans gave him the boo-hiss treatment.

The important thing for the Scotland defenders was that no-one ever had to shout: He's behind you.

The much-travelled McGeady had already proved in Georgia how effective he can be on the road.

The fact is that home comfort always was going to be crucial in this group, perhaps even the deciding factor in the race for France 2016.

Scotland and the Republic are the only countries who can claim not to have shed any points on their own turf.

The Irish, of course, had the audacity to take a point in Germany against the World champions the night Scotland were doing likewise in Poland.

And, with the Poles adding another home defeat to Georgia just a few hours before the Celtic Connection kicked off at Parkhead, the pressure increased on Strachan's side not to let McGeady and Co. head back across the Irish Sea with anything more to show for their travels.

The loss of James Morrison to illness just before kick-off was a real blow to Strachan's plans. But, the manager has always maintained he has a squad, not just a team.

When one player drops out, there is another ready to step in, well-versed in what is expected of them to retain the continuity of the system deployed.

The problem is that the style Strachan has developed is well-known to Martin O'Neill, who was not about to sit back and let it flow.

Which is why it took Scotland until the mid-point of the first half to get any real cohesion into their play.

Until then, the Irish had succeeded in dragging them into the kind of scrappy affair which is their hallmark.

The controlled, disciplined play which is Strachan's idea of how the game should be played, had proved very difficult to execute in the frenetic opening stages.

The visitors hassled and harried for every ball, pressing high up the pitch.

Frequently, Scotland found they had to play the ball back when they really wanted to be moving forward.

It meant that attacking players, like Ikechi Anya, Steven Naismith and Maloney, rarely had time to look up, let alone pick out a pass or a team-mate.

The fragmented football this produced was not easy on the eye of the Tartan Army, or, at least, those who had been able to get in by kick-off time, traffic problems leaving many still outside well into the match.

Bookings for McGeady and Jeff Henderick, following crunching fouls on Steven Fletcher and Steven Whittaker, summed up the Irish approach.

Seamus Coleman and Stephen Quinn joined them in the second half for more agricultural play.

Grant Hanley also found himself in the book in the first half for a heavy challenge on the slippery Shane Long, leaving the Scotland defender on something of a tightrope for the remainder of the match.

In terms of genuine chances, it was also fairly even stevens in the first half, David Marshall having to make routine saves from a brace of Jon Walters shots from distance while a Fletcher header flew over, a Maloney flick whistled across the face of David Forde's goal and a Whittaker drive was easily held.

When Scotland did manage to get the ball wide, Fletcher came close to connecting with crosses from Anya and Maloney, but was crowded out or beaten to the ball by Sunderland team-mate, John O'Shea.

Clearly, it was going to take something special to break the deadlock.

The $64million question was, who would conjure it up?

Robbie Keane had been kept on the bench. But, one look at his strike rate at club and country level - including while at Celtic - underlined why he remained a potent threat in reserve.

At the other end, the much-less-prolific Fletcher had appeared to be inching closer to adding to his single goal for Scotland.

But, after 10 minutes of the re-start, Strachan decided his race was run and replaced him with Derby's Chris Martin.

Perhaps the scare of seeing Marshall have to look sharp to deny Long's close-range header prompted the change.

But, the Irish had raised their game, and Walters was only inches away from diverting a McGeady driven cross into the Scots goal.

Sub Martin came even closer when he got his foot to a Naismith cross from the goal-line, and it was clear that neither side was prepared to settle for a draw.

The tension was briefly broken when the Serbian ref, Milorad Mazic, was brave enough to call assistant boss Roy Keane from the Irish technical area and deliver a stern lecture for comments made.

Quite what Keane had to say when, a minute later, Maloney scored, is probably not repeatable. Walters had headed the ball on to his own crossbar and over to hand Scotland a corner.

Maloney played it short to Anya, who moved it to Brown.

Maloney then got it back before driving into the box and sending a curling shot in at Forde's left-hand post to spark scenes of delirium.

O'Neill's answer was to send on Keane for Hendrick, but the nearest the Irish came to another late escape came in stoppage time when Hanley inadvertently headed off his own crossbar.

Job done … now bring on the English.