Football: Miko out of order but so were big Joe and Diego

Sep 9 2007 ANDY WALKER

IN the end justice was done. It wasn't our best performance by any means but we showed great character to react so positively when we felt cheated.

When Hearts Saulius Mikoliunas dived outrageously in the box to earn the Lithuanians a penalty for a while it didn't look good for us.

Let's be honest had we dropped any points yesterday our chances of getting to the European finals in Austria and Switzerland next summer were gone.

At a time when diving has been pushed to the forefront of every refs mind in Scotland in the wake of SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith's insistence that it's a huge problem, we saw a clear definition of unacceptable conduct yesterday.

Winning fouls, free-kicks and penalties has always been - and always will be - a part of the game but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Mikoliunas clearly overstepped the mark and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if he's booed and jeered at every away ground in Scotland in the coming weeks and months.

As soon as it happened my eyes were drawn to the reaction of Craig Gordon.

The Sunderland goalie angrily waved his finger in his former teammate's face outside the 18-yard box and at the end of the game neither David Weir nor Darren Fletcher was prepared to shake his hand.

Unless Mikoliunas changes his style, he's going to suffer from the jeers of Scotland fans up and down the country for some time.

At the same time, some people get their knickers in a twist when they see examples of cheating and diving and don't know how to react.

On the one hand, they'll applaud Diego Maradona's famous Hand of God goal because he got away with it against England, and laugh heartily when Joe Jordan infamously won us a penalty against Wales at Anfield by conning the referee in a World Cup qualifier.

Both of them are heroes to the Tartan Army for different reasons and yet both of them are guilty of cheating.

And yet we know people will happily condemn those who don't really mean anything to us. Make no mistake, Mikoliunas will suffer for months because of his actions.

I wonder what the reaction will be if a Scot resorts to that type of play in one of the last few games that might just get us to the European Championships?

Will he be roundly condemned by everyone if it means qualification? I doubt it.

As for the game, I thought we missed the calming influence of suspended skipper Barry Ferguson who watched from the stand.

For too long our passing was rushed and we lacked composure and patience on the ball. We'll need his ability and experience when we take on the French in the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

The inclusion of Gary Teale surprised many before kick-off but I for one was delighted to see him get a game from the start.

I played alongside Gary for a year at Ayr United and loved the service he could provide for strikers in the box.

He did see a lot of the ball in the early stages but couldn't quite manage to provide enough quality crosses for Boyd and O'Connor.

Thankfully, Darren Fletcher did after half-an-hour and it just goes to show you don't need to be a giant to win headers in the danger area.

If the cross is whipped in with pace anyone who is capable of getting a yard in front of their defender will score goals.

Boyd does this all the time and I find the criticism of his game to be absurd.

Anyone with his goalscoring record should be applauded. It's the hardest thing to do in the game.

At the back, I thought the Old Firm partnership of David Weir and Stephen McManus was terrific, especially when we were rocking fora 15-minute period after the equaliser.

Weir's reading of the game was outstanding and McManus kept us in it with a terrific block inside the box as Cesnauskis was about to shoot.

Against Georgia, it was the knee, shin then toe of Craig Beattie that brought about the dramatic winner.

McManus only needed his left knee to provide the biggest cheer of the day. How often have we seen the positive impact that substitutions can bring this season? Gordon Strachan has provided plenty of examples of late and his pal Big Eck has the happy knack of it as well.

Sean Maloney's first touch couldn't have been more dramatic. A driven, angled ball to the back post was met by McManus and somehow he steered it in.

It was the least we deserved and McFadden's gem of a goal at the end put the gloss on a performance that was full of character rather than class. We'll need plenty of both in Paris to take something fromm the World Cup L finalists.