Aidan Nesbitt insists Scotland's youngsters should be proud for being among the top four nations in Europe despite their semi-final mauling by the Netherlands.
Scot Gemmill's kids were beaten 5-0 to exit the UEFA European Under 17 Finals in Malta on Sunday. But Nesbitt, the Celtic youth, believes that should not detract from a hugely impressive run in which they defeated the likes of Belgium, Bosnia and Romania in qualifying and Germany and Switzerland at the finals.
He said: "We can be proud of everything we've achieved. We're the first Scotland Under-17s team to get to the semi-finals. We're gutted because we were so close to going all the way so it's hard to take going out like that. We have to hold our heads high. We gave it our best.
"We beat Germany and Switzerland and were unbeaten from qualifying - five wins and a draw.
"Hopefully, in our own small way we've put Scottish football back on the map. To be one of the four top teams in Europe is a success."
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