For Tartan Army islands all games are away games

Some of the Lewis lads who came to London for the Scotland match last week called in for a ceilidh.

The cost of travelling from the islands means Wembley could be their only Scotland away game for some time to come.

That puts them at a disadvantage compared to other members of the Tartan Army, who can fly to away games and be back at work in the Central Belt next morning, er, hangover permitting.

With 35,000 members the Scotland Supporters Club is at about away match capacity, so tickets are sold through a points system.

The more away games you attend the more points you earn, and the better your chance of a ticket the next time.

But for Tartan Army fans from Shetland to Islay every Scotland game is an away game, involving a costly flight and a few days off work.

There is a case for the Scottish Supporters Association letting members with island postcodes start with a few away points advantage. That way they have a chance to qualify for occasional games abroad.

Wait a minute, if we applied the bonus points principle to the Scotland team’s away games too...