THOSE traipsing dejectedly out of Hampden on October 8 last year would surely have settled for this. There seemed little scope for optimism that night, not when Scotland had scraped to a 1-1 draw at home to Lithuania, the second-weakest team in their World Cup qualifying group. Successive 3-0 defeats to Slovakia and then England merely added to the misery. Scotland’s absence from major tournaments was surely set to continue.

Eleven months on, however, and there is belatedly scope for mild optimism. An unbeaten run of results throughout 2017 – that could have been a perfect four wins from four were it not for that pesky Harry Kane – has presented Gordon Strachan’s side with the previously unforeseen scenario where they go into the final two matches of the group still with a chance of claiming second and, with that, a very reasonable chance of taking one of the eight play-off places available.

To be the only group runner-up to bow out at that point would be cruelty beyond anything Scotland has bestowed on its long-suffering supporters in recent years.

So, there is hope but with that should come attached a cautionary note. Scotland still sit in fourth place in the group despite this run of positive results and are yet to claim the sort of notable victory that tends to catapult a side to prominence. In beating Slovenia and Malta at home, and Lithuania away, in 2017 they have done merely what ought to have been expected of them as third seeds. Only the Hampden draw with England ought to count as a bonus point.

The real tests are, therefore, still to come. To finish second they will likely need to beat second seeds Slovakia at Hampden – a side that ran England close at Wembley last week and reached the last 16 of Euro 2016 – and then finish with a victory away to fourth seeds Slovenia. Not since the failed campaign to reach the 2008 Euros have Scotland racked up four wins back-to-back, something that underlines the size of the task awaiting Strachan and his players.

Still, the dream is still alive. And for those playing their part in it, that is a reason to be cheerful.

“We were delighted with those results [against Lithuania and Malta],” said Charlie Mulgrew, part of a defence that has kept clean sheets in three of their last four games.

“We might have been written off at the start of the campaign but as players, you have to keep believing. There's no way you give it up. While there are other games and points up for grabs, you have to believe in yourself.

“We're pleased to be in this position but there's a long way to go. The end goal is to be at the World Cup and that's still going to be difficult. Every team wants to be there but it'll be hard. We desperately want that play-off spot.

“The win on Monday along with England's result was massive for us. We didn't know until after the Malta game that England had been 1-0 down to Slovakia. But we were just concentrating on what we could do. It was never going to be easy for us because Malta sit in and make it difficult for you. They make it awkward so it was good to get an early goal and pick up another win. It's a nice feeling knowing that it's in our hands now. Going into those two games if you'd offered us a 3-0 and a 2-0 we'd have bitten your hand off.

“We played well in the games, got the results we needed so we can put them behind us now and look ahead to the next one in October. But we've not achieved anything yet, we've only won a couple of games. We're happy but we have to move on now.

“We need the place rocking against Slovakia - that would be great. Just like Slovenia and England, it would be brilliant to have a crowd like that for the next one. When the supporters get behind us, it really does help the team.”

Mulgrew, as a two-time former Celtic player, believes the influence of his one-time team-mates has been key to Scotland’s progress. From a point where no Parkhead player started the first two games of this campaign, Strachan has subsequently shepherded them in en masse. Six Celtic players began last week’s game against Malta.

“The two wins last week were as comfortable as I can remember playing for Scotland,” Mulgrew said. “Certainly, the Lithuania one was the most comfortable I've ever felt in an away game.

“That's a big thanks to the boys at Celtic because they work in a certain way. There are a few of them in the team now and they drag everyone else with them.

“They have a certain way of playing and with so many in the squad, we've gelled together with them. It helps Scotland that they're playing every week together for their club. They're playing with a lot of confidence so we're happy to have them. With other boys chipping in, we're delighted with how it's going. Celtic are playing really well and we've got others at a good level.”

One curiosity from the win over Malta was that the entire defence and goalkeeper were all left-footed. Mulgrew doesn’t know if that’s a factor in their increased solidity but admitted all the players felt comfortable with each other, especially him and fellow centre-half Christophe Berra.

“I've never played in a back five where everyone is left-footed, including the goalie. Even against England, the three centre-backs were all left-footed as well. It's different but we never conceded and that's down to the whole team, starting from the front.

“The understanding between myself and Christophe is good. He's a top defender who does the basics very well. But it's not just us, it's the whole back four and those in front of us working as a unit.”

Mulgrew admitted he did wonder about his Scotland prospects when his club Blackburn Rovers were relegated at the end of last season.

“No-one wanted to drop down to League One, everyone is disappointed. But everyone at the club is rallying together and wants to fix it. No matter what level you're playing at, you always want to be involved with Scotland. When you drop down a division, there's always a worry that you might not get picked. So when you do get in, you have to step up and do a job. I love playing for Scotland and being part of it.”