International for East End Park

Scotland Under-21s will take on Belgium in a Vauxhall Under-21 International Challenge Match at East End Park on Tuesday, 14th August

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Scotland Under-21s will take on Belgium in a Vauxhall Under-21 International Challenge Match at East End Park on Tuesday, 14th August. This will be the first time the Scotland U21s have played in Dunfermline since 12th September 2007. Back then a crowd of 975 watched a goalless draw against Denmark. The Scotland team that night was:-

Jamie MacDonald (Hearts) GK; Garry Kenneth (Dundee Utd); Lee Wallace (Hearts); Mark Reynolds (Motherwell); Scott Cuthbert (Celtic); Lewis Stevenson (Hibernian) [Marc Fitzpatrick (Motherwell) 70]; Ross McCormack (Motherwell) [Ross Campbell (Hibernian) 80]; Jamie Hamill (Kilmarnock); Steven Fletcher (Hibernian); David Robertson (Dundee Utd) [Rocco Quinn (Celtic) 56]; Steven Naismith (Rangers) Capt.
Subs not used: Chris Smith (St Mirren) GK; Paul Dixon (Dundee); Thomas Scobbie (Falkirk); Paul Caddis (Celtic)

Coach Billy Stark will use the match as preparation for his team's final two UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying matches in September against Luxembourg and Austria with the Scots still in the running for a play-off spot for Israel 2013 following their 2-2 draw in Bulgaria last week.

Belgium, currently third in Group Eight, defeated England 2-1 in November last year and will provide Stark's under-21 side with stiff opposition in August. He said:

"This match will be a big test for us because Belgium have some top quality players. You only have to take a look at their senior squad to see the kind of players they have been producing of late.

"We played them in a friendly away from home last year and lost 1-0 that night but had some good chances to win the match and I think a draw would have been a fair result.

"It was a great exercise for us because we were still forming our squad in that match but this one is a bit different because we are now preparing for our final two qualifying matches.

"We are second in our group going into our last two games and this match will allow us to get everyone together and work towards giving the campaign one final push and hopefully we can clinch a play-off position."

Scotland almost earned all three points in Bulgaria when Jordan Rhodes bagged his eighth goal of the campaign with just minutes remaining but a last-gasp equaliser in the third minute of added time denied Stark's men the win.

That result, coupled with the Netherlands' 5-0 win over Bulgaria last night, means Scotland will probably need two wins from their remaining two matches to have a realistic chance of clinching a play-off place.

Stark added: "There is a fine line between a draw and win and that was shown in our draw with Bulgaria last week.

"As I tell the players, you can only analyse performances because results don't always tell the story of a game and I feel we performed really well out there, especially coming back from a goal down at half time.

"I always ask the players to play with a confidence in every game and they certainly did that against Bulgaria and in all of our previous games in this campaign.

"If we can beat Luxembourg at home then we will have a good idea of what will be required going into our final game away to Austria."