The energy in the national stadium and the connection between the fans and the players at the end of the win over Greece is something he wants more of, and he wants to play his part for his country, even if he can’t do so on the field of play. The message is clear and the act is intended to cement the notion – we are in this together.

“I want to stay with the squad and be part of it with the lads,” Ferguson said.

(Image: Bruce White/Colorsport / Shutterstock)

“I want to be in around it, we are in this together and I want to help if I can.

“So, I definitely want to stay – it’ll be up to the manager, it will be his decision. But I want to stick around, train as normal and still be part of it in the build up to Sunday’s game. We are all desperate to be here and do everything we can for each other.

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“It’s obviously disappointing to miss out. At the end of the game, I was knackered and was looking over to the manager telling him I was tired. But there were no subs left, and the ref was telling me that, so he was already on my case. 

“I tried to get close to someone and gave away a foul, so ended up with the booking. It’s frustrating, but I’m sure we have enough strength in the squad to go and win the game.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke has his fair share of critics, and his tactics and team selection have been scrutinised once again following a dreadful opening hour against the Greeks.

But one thing that cannot be disputed is the work he has done in fostering team spirit within the Scotland camp, and while his loyalty to certain players can also sometimes be used as a stick to beat him with, Ferguson believes it is one of his key strengths.

“Things have changed a lot under the manager, we have a real club feeling where you see the same faces a lot,” he said.

(Image: Bruce White/Colorsport / Shutterstock)

“It’s really consistent every time, everyone knows each other and gets on. It’s a great group. Everyone is so close and is pulling in the same direction to get us to a World Cup. 

“That’s the kind of spirit that gets you results like the win over Greece. When it’s difficult you need to dig in, battle for each other and help each other out. That’s what we did on Thursday, and it paid off.

“It says a lot about the team the way we got over the line. You talk about character, spirit, everyone running for each other, everyone having each other’s back and that resilience. 

“We showed all of that against Greece because they’re a really good side, they make you move around, they find pockets of space and they put you under pressure. 

“So, it was really hard at times, and I think them going in front maybe made us more desperate to get the goal. 

“Getting back into it again so quickly was great and after that you could feel the energy in the stadium. Once that happened you could sense that we would go on to win it.”