Former Scotland winger Neil McCann knows the entire nation cherish victories over the Auld Enemy but insists he is more interested in seeing the team reach major finals.
The retired former Rangers, Hearts and Southampton player outshone the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen to collect the man of the match award when Craig Brown’s team stunned England with a 1-0 win at Wembley in 1999.
But it was a bittersweet moment for the Scots as they were unable to cancel out a Scholes brace from the first leg of the Euro 2000 play-offs.
The fierce rivals lock horns on Wednesday for the first time in 14 years and McCann is hopeful of seeing Gordon Strachan’s side continue the feelgood factor following a recent shock World Cup qualifying win over Croatia.
But the Dunfermline coach admits victory over the English will not disguise the fact that Scotland, absent from a major tournament since World Cup 98, are missing out on Brazil next summer.
“We don’t have great memories of winning championships or things like that but with the big games we win, the supporters treasure it,” McCann said.
“If we were to beat England, great it would be great for everyone, especially the Scots living in England.
“But to be honest I would get more satisfaction from beating Croatia. That was a real competitive game against top-class opposition.
“Beating England would be nice for the memory but you want to progress into tournaments. We’ve not been there since 1998, which is disappointing.”
McCann supplied the cross for Don Hutchison to head in the only goal of the game at the old Wembley and admits it is a night he’ll never forget.
He added: “It was definitely one of my highlights. Playing for Scotland is something you dream of as a wee boy.
“I got man of the match that night. When you look back, they had a good team: they had Beckham, Owen and Alan Shearer.
“It was some occasion. We flew back to Glasgow and, although there was the disappointment of not making the championships, it was a nice feeling just to get a wee bit of pride back, having lost at Hampden.”