Conor Bradley strikes to give Northern Ireland victory over struggling Scotland

Scotland are gun-shy and in plummeting form precisely at the wrong time: less than three months before they stroll out at the Allianz Arena to face Germany in the Euro 2024 curtain-raiser.

This defeat came because Steve Clarke’s side lacked an edge in attack, and stretches their run to a hardly magnificent seven consecutive matches without a win, and a second defeat in a row.

After Friday’s 4-0 loss to the Netherlands, Northern Ireland’s more modest challenge was a chance to restore morale. Except the visitors did not read the script, and Andy Robertson hobbling off to deepen Scottish woe.

As the final whistle neared, Lewis Ferguson’s header was tipped over by Bailey Peacock-Farrell, so Conor Bradley’s first international goal proved the winner. Scotland must wait until June’s trip to Gibraltar to try to halt this rot.

Clarke’s team wanted a morale-boosting victory here, ideally done with a swagger and the swatting aside of Michael O’Neill’s side.

There was an evident strut in the Scott McTominay’s swivel and dribble that drove him through the centre and drew a foul. Although the midfielder smashed his free-kick into the wall it followed previous bright stuff from the hosts. That included a swinging Robertson cross that found the lurking John McGinn on the left corner of the penalty area when only a visiting leg blocked what appeared to be a missile heading for the bottom right of Peacock-Farrell’s net.

There was also a Ryan Christie shot that went wide. Any prospect, at this juncture, of Northern Ireland taking play to the other end seemed fanciful, the only noteworthy event being Alistair McCann’s crashing clatter into Billy Gilmour that sent McTominay’s midfield partner into a different postcode.

Yet after the early flashes of Scotland’s fluidity evaporated, there was none of the piercing play seen in Amsterdam before the capitulation against the Netherlands. Instead, disaster arrived for the home side and for Nathan Patterson. It was the wing-back whose clumsy touch initially ceded possession. Recovering well, he ran back along his right flank and retook control of the ball but then over-elaborated and returned it to Bradley. The Liverpool right-back pivoted, shot and the ball brushed off Jack Hendry, looped over Angus Gunn and in.

Injury followed insult as Robertson, who had needed treatment earlier, went down again, and was replaced by Ferguson. Bad news for Scotland to lose their captain and, perhaps, for Liverpool if the problem rules the defender out of any action.

By half-time Scotland would have been two down if Shea Charles had not missed – badly – after another Patterson error allowed O’Neill’s team to break.

To indicate their disgruntlement the Scotland faithful booed their side off at the interval. The team had 45 minutes to turn this emotion and the scoreline around. McGinn tried to do so in the first moments but his effort skidded over the turf and Peacock-Farrell collected.

A Patterson-Lyndon Dykes-McGinn-Patterson combination down the right was as good and as rare as anything those in dark blue had fashioned. Yet the Patterson cross that ended the move again went straight to Peacock-Farrell in a summation of Scottish bluntness before goal.

A microcosm of their frustration came soon after. One more Patterson miscontrol had Scotland turned and as Brodie Spencer hurtled down the left, over came Gilmour to chop him down.

Clarke, in his technical area, surely considered a change – of shape or personnel or both, as being able to act in-contest is top of the manager’s job description. But instead it was O’Neill who moved first, taking off Jamie Reid for Josh Magennis.

More positive for the hosts was a McGinn free-kick that floated to Liam Cooper in a packed area but the defender could not direct his header. Then McGinn wanted a penalty for what he thought was a Spencer shove but Robert Jones, the referee, was not interested.

Now Clarke made a move, substituting Gilmore and Dykes for Ché Adams and Kenny McLean. But still he came up short.