By Kyle Gunn

Encouraged Scotland fans are backing Scotland to qualify for the first time since 1998, according to a quick-fire UWS poll.

Steve Clarke’s men won both home games against Greece and Belarus without turning in impressive performances on either occasion, particularly in the second match.

The poll predicts that our near 30-year hiatus from the finals may be over.

Tartan Army member Kevin Kennedy is also convinced that the right man is in the dugout to guide the country to next year’s showpiece event in North America.

He said: “I think it just shows that although there’s a lot of kind of negativity around Steve Clarke, the results speak for themselves. If he can get us to the World Cup, he’s got to be Scotland’s greatest manager of all time. First, when you look at what he’s done in the two Euros previous year, performances haven’t gone away, but there’s been clear building blocks there.”

The. Scots know all of the permutations going into the last two qualifying matches in November against Greece away and Denmark at Hampden.

A draw in Greece would set up a winner takes all encounter with Denmark a few days later to win the section and we can relax a bit.

Or, as Kevin predicts, all of a Scottish persuasion could be in for one of those nerve wracking playoff games again.

“Knowing that we need to have four points from the next two games with Greece away and Denmark at home, it would be difficult, I think. Ultimately, I think we’ll finish playoffs just because of the release result. I do think, well, we’ve shown in the past that we can beat Denmark at home, and I think it will be the same again.

Kevin thinks Greece away will be difficult in November but positivity can be taken from other results.

Kevin continued:“I think we could potentially lose out on group winners and potentially finish in the playoffs because I don’t think Greece will go our way, but listen, that’s maybe pessimistic. You know what Scotland fans are like? They can certainly be filled with optimism and that’s what we’ll be doing next month.”