FIFA World Cup: The night Scotland beat Denmark – told by those who made it happen

The final act on the most dramatic night in the history of the national team fell to McLean. When the ball reached him in his own half, he took it for a short spin, unsure what to do with it.

“I didn’t initially think about the shot,” he says. “I make a few touches and I see the support coming from both sides and I know the game is going to be over, whether I pass it or not.

“I was looking around to see if I had any pressure on me, to see if I had time. And I heard some noise from the crowd that sounded like ‘Shoot!’. The crowd was the first to put the idea into my head. And obviously I accepted the offer.”

“I hit it and it felt like slow motion after that. It felt like everyone was quiet. The ball started half a yard outside the post, but then it started to spin. The goalkeeper was in a bit of trouble. The ball cleared him and it was inside the post. It bounced and went in and that’s when I started running.”

“It was hysterical after that. Absolute chaos. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.”

Ferguson remembers the moment the ball found the target. “The relief and euphoria that goes through you – the place erupted, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I had nothing left in the tank but then we all ran about 100 yards into the corner chasing Kenny. Pure adrenaline. It was like a dream.”

The celebration continued, everyone had a story to tell, and everyone was rejoicing that the older members of the team would now be crowned with glory playing in the World Cup.

Things are going well, Craig Gordon, at 43 years old, will become the second-oldest player in history to appear on the biggest stage.

He has been on the road as a Scottish player for an amazing 22 years. Hanley won their first international cap in 15 years. Robertson made his first appearance in twelve years. It’s been a decade for McGinn and McLean.

For Clark, it’s been much longer. He never hid his dream of leading Scotland to the World Cup and with this group of players he has now achieved it.

As the celebrations continued, Naismith had reason to reminisce about what his days were like as a Scottish player, where he won 51 caps over 12 years. He talks about the relationship between the current team and how times have changed.

“The boys now can’t wait to meet,” he says. “We’ve lacked that in my career, that togetherness. There was a bit of self-interest, I think. If a player doesn’t play in the first game of the season and you’re going away to Macedonia, for example, in the middle of the week – ‘Oh, I’m injured, I’m not going’. There used to be a lot of that, but not now.”

Final words of Maclean, Mayor of Norwich and now King of Scotland.

“Every player says that – and too often it’s said for that – but we really are like a club team, we’re like a family. Honestly, the relationship between these boys is unlike anything I’ve been involved in before. There are no cliques. Everyone is a team.

“If you can be a good teammate, it goes a long way. That’s what I always want people to say about me and I say about all these boys. They have great ability but above all they are great team-mates and great people.”