Scotland 'B' 3 Northern Ireland 'B' 0

Scotland’s B Squad put in a great performance to defeat Northern Ireland at a drenched Broadwood stadium.

Goals from Andy Webster, debutant George Boyd, and Leigh Griffiths were enough to secure victory for George Burley and also giving him some tough decisions for future team selections.

The game was played in atrocious conditions, but that didn’t stop both teams attempting to play passing football, especially in the first 45 minutes, before a half time downpour wreaked havoc on the Broadwood pitch.

Motherwell’s Stephen Hughes and Falkirk’s Scott Arfield put in good performances in the middle of the park and Andy Webster showed the type of form that resulted him being an established international player a few years ago, while at Hearts.

Webster opened the scoring early in the second half after he slotted home the rebound when his initial header was saved by Tuffey in the Northern Irish goal.

There were chances for Northern Ireland at the other end but former Celtic goalie David Marshall dealt with the threat. The attacking flair of debutant George Boyd and latterly Griffiths caught the eye. Boyd was keen to drift past players at every opportunity and showed some of the touches that had earned him the nickname "the white Pele." He rounded off a great performance with a fine strike on 76 minutes.

The introduction of Griffiths added pace to the attack and he was rewarded with a goal in the closing stages. Griffiths is definitely a star of the future.

It was a fine performance and result, with some good football on show for the 2000 or so fans who braved the weather to watch an entertaining game.

Hopefully the first team can be buoyed by this victory and secure victories in the World Cup qualifiers, that will see us reach the play offs for South Africa 2010. It will be a tough task, but with the future seemingly bright, hope and faith will always be part of the Tartan Army psyche.