GRAB A FLYER OR IT'S DIRE

PAUL HARTLEY warned his Scotland team-mates to get off to a flier or forget Euro 2008.

The Hearts midfielder reckons the draw is tougher than anyone dared imagine.

Hartley, 29, refuses to write us off but insists the Scots cannot get off to the rocky start that cost us our chance of making the World Cup.

The Scots failed to win their first three games under Berti Vogts in the autumn of 2004 against Slovenia, Norway and Moldova and Hartley said: "We have a chance but it depends how we start.

"And we can't afford many slip-ups because we're going to be playing a lot of good teams and even Lithuania and Georgia will be tough.

"However, these are games that excite us and a good start will also bring confidence.

"It's the hardest group we could have been given but it's still a fantastic challenge.

"We had problems in the last campaign and it wasn't until Walter came in that things started to change. Now we have a settled group."

The wind-ups have already started in the Hearts dressing room with Hartley and Scotland team-mates Steven Pressley, Andy Webster, Neil McCann and Craig Gordon lining up against the Jambos' four-man Lithuanian contingent.

He said: "I'm sure a few of the Lithuanian lads will be injured the weekend they play us - I don't think they fancy it."

Taken from the Daily Record