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| <-Page | <-Team | Sat 26 Aug 2006 Hearts 4 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 | Team-> | Page-> |
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| 187 | of 199 | Mauricio Pinilla 20 ;Jamie Mole 43 ;Andrew Driver 81 ;Bruno Aguiar 91 | L SPL | H |
Miller’s tale one of action all the wayMARK WILSON September 07 2006 How the beleaguered groundsman at the shabby S Darius & S Girenas Stadium must detest Kenny Miller. He could only rest wearily on his pitchfork last night as the white-booted blur of a striker churned his pitch another step closer to a beetroot patch. Not even the sapping condition of the playing surface in Kaunas could drain Miller. Like a hyperactive kid who has forgotten to pop a Ritalin, he was propelled by nervous energy to every rutted corner as he fought Scotland's cause. Make no mistake, Miller's suspension for the match against France at Hampden on Saturday, October 7 is the first negative in a hugely positive start to the Euro 2008 qualifiers. The internal debate conducted by the Tartan Army over Walter Smith's decision to retain faith in the Celtic striker, despite his flaccid form at club level, was decided decisively in favour of the motion as he netted a fine goal and refused Lithuania's defence any rest. Sadly, it was just such an effort that ultimately cost Miller his opportunity to unsettle the French. Vladimir Hrinak, the Slovakian referee who proved irksome throughout, decided the striker had fouled Rolandas Dziaukstas when trying to block his attempted clearance. The unfair nature of that call served only to emphasise the sheer daftness of his yellow card against the Faroe Islands last Saturday for a tangle with Pauli Hansen. "I knew as soon as I did it that I would be out," said Miller last night as he reflected on his challenge against Dziaukstas. "I am devastated but that is one of those things. "If I had missed the ball people would have said that it was a striker's tackle but I actually touched the ball. I said to the referee at half-time and he said I caught the boy. I can't do anything about it. "Saturday's was a disgrace as well, because their player came over to me and I got booked. Tonight, the boy cleared the ball and I put it in the other direction, so I am gutted to miss the France game." Miller's seventh strike in his past eight appearances for Scotland was the peak of a rumbustious performance of the kind that prompted Gordon Strachan to take him to Parkhead in the first place. He will now surely return to Strachan's care with confidence buffed back to a shine. The £3.6m signing of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has created another dimension of difficulty for Miller to retain a regular place in the Parkhead side, so last night's shot of success could not have been better timed. His goal also offered a glimpse of what a future partnership with Kris Boyd may offer at international level. The Rangers striker, now likely to carry the forward burden against France, barged space at the edge of the box to allow the ball to reach his Old Firm rival. A touch high on his chest set up a shot which was gleefully battered beyond Zydrunas Karcemarskas in the Lithuanian goal. Miller's celebration carried the surging release of frustration built from his Celtic struggles as much as it did the sheer delight of effectively sealing another three vital points for his country. It was telling that in the 92nd minute, as Scotland desperately sought the final whistle, it was the 26-year-old whose legs were still pounding enough to relieve the pressure. Miller scuttled back to snatch possession away from Lithuania and surged forward positively before sliding a through ball for Boyd. His shot was turned around the post for a corner by Karcemarskas and Smith's side had the breathing space they needed to squeeze the last seconds off the clock. Much earlier, Miller had begun in the possessed fashion of a man out to prove a point quickly. Dragging wide towards the right wing, he frequently found patches of space to be exploited on the pockmarked pitch. One rapier thrust into the penalty area was followed by a precise pass to set up the onrushing Nigel Quashie, whose left-foot drive was clutched anxiously by Karcemarskas. Moments later, Miller again raised the goalkeeper's heart-rate when a glanced header off James McFadden's corner prompted an unseemly goal-line scramble to clear. His quick feet then forced Tomas Zvirgzdauskas to handball when prone on the ground, drawing a booking from Hrinak. Unfortunately, he soon collected just such a punishment himself, to leave Smith with an additional problem to ponder on top of stopping Thierry Henry and co.  Taken from the Herald |
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