Austria Out To Make Amends For Last September

Last updated : 10 October 2011 By Ed_scottishfitba

David Wotherspoon 2Scotland's Under 21s meet old adversaries Austria tonight at St Mirren Park in a replay of the games between the sides in the last UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign.  David Wotherspoon hopes that experience of facing Austria last time can help Scotland claim back-to-back wins following their emphatic 5-1 win in Luxembourg. The win gives Billy Stark's side a welcome boost after starting the campaign with a 0-0 draw against Bulgaria. Hibs midfielder Wotherspoon is just one of a few survivors from the previous campaign but with the same coaches, and the rest of the squad keen to make an impact, he sees no reason why the Scotland should not beat the Austrians.
 
He said: "It felt like it was going to be the same campaign again when the draw was made. It's good that we've got them again because we know some of their players who have stayed in the squad and we know we can get good results against them. We are looking forward to that game."
 
Of course, Austria will be out for revenge after losing out on a play-off spot to Scotland last time. Both sides were vying for a play-off spot heading into last September's game at Pittodrie. Marko Arnautovic put the Austrians in the driving seat with an early opener, but Stark's men hit back through Barry Bannan before Chris Maguire grabbed the winner a minute from time to seal the win. However, the journey ultimately ended in disappointment when Scotland Under-21s failed to overcome Iceland to book a place at the European Championships in the summer.
 
Even though there are changes in personnel this time around, Wotherspoon warned that Austria will be dangerous in Paisley. He added: "They will be out for revenge against us for putting them out in the last minute of the game. That will be in the back of their coaches' minds. But, for us, it's a fresh start. A few of the boys will remember those games but it's a fresh start for most of the lads. It's a clean slate for them and hopefully we can show what we've got."