Meltdown against Belgians still painful for Dodds

IT HAS only been 18-and-a-half years. You can’t expect the wounds to have healed so swiftly. No, Billy Dodds still feels a sharp pang of regret every time he recalls a night when he did something utterly remarkable — only for his efforts to count for almost nought. The scorer of two goals against Belgium at Hampden in March 2001, Dodds told

Sportsmail that he can’t possibly recall the occasion with anything other than a feeling of loss. The sight of the Belgians lining up against Steve Clarke’s boys this evening will only bring back painful memories of that 2-2 draw against ten men. Hell, if he closes his eyes, Dodds can still see that Belgian fightback from two goals down, Marc Wilmots replying first before Daniel van Buyten’s super-slo-mo header looped into the Scotland goal in stoppage time, denying Craig Brown’s men victory in their pursuit of a second successive World Cup qualification. Dodds bagged both his goals inside the opening half hour, the second from a penalty after Eric Deflandre was redcarded for handling the ball on the line. ‘It still hurts. The disappointment is still there,’ said Dodds. ‘There is always one result that costs you, one opportunity missed that will keep you from getting to a tournament. ‘That Belgium game, that was our result. We were cruising at 2-0 and it should have been three; we missed some right good chances. ‘They were down to ten men, we were in total control and then, well, you know what happened. Van Buyten’s header, when it went in, it was just a killer. That feeling will never leave me. ‘Don’t get me wrong, they were still a really good team back then. But they weren’t No 1 in the world — and we felt we had the win sewn up. It still hurts.’ Dodds has reason to regret that night. Any mention of Belgium also brings back memories of an equally disappointing occasion — his final outing for Scotland. Recalling the 2-0 away loss in September of 2001, he said: ‘The game in Belgium was my last appearance. Myself and Paul Lambert both decided to call it a day after that game, give the younger players a chance to come through. ‘I wasn’t playing all that regularly at Rangers at the time, so that was an issue. But I also felt I’d done my national service, so to speak.’ Last Friday’s loss to Russia leaves Dodds believing that the current campaign is destined to finish in a similar sense of deflation, with the earlier humbling by Kazakhstan already bearing the look of ‘that result’ guaranteed to kill Scotland. ‘I fear it won’t happen,’ he said. ‘I fear that the Kazakhstan game will be the result that comes back to haunt us. ‘I don’t think anyone expects anything from Belgium. But if we’d managed to beat Russia, we at least make up for that Kazakhstan game.’

lBILLY DODDS was speaking at the McDonald’s & SFA Fun Football Festival at Dundee United Sports Club. These festivals are taking place across the UK this summer, giving thousands of children the chance to enjoy the game. Find your nearest festival at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/funfootball