Neil Cameron: Every Scotland supporter has been left with a smile on our faces - it feels weird

Never has the phrase ‘that will do’ been more apt because that result did do and then some. We would have taken a one goal win, especially at half-time when it was 1-1.

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A 5-1 victory in this era of the Scottish national team, even against Malta who have finished bottom of their group seven out of the last eight campaigns, is to be welcomed like a lottery win.

It wasn’t pretty but, hey, it was alright – which is something Bruce Springsteen might say – and while those who literally follow Scotland around the world aren’t quite yet buying Russian phrase books, it was a solid, enjoyable and winning start.

Hooray and all that.

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The match was decided when Malta defender Jonathan Caruana was sent off for a trip on Chris Martin a couple of yards from goal. It never looked like either a red card or a penalty and yet that is what was given. The excellent Robert Snodgrass, more about him later, scored his second to make it 3-1. The win was sealed there and then.

And breathe.

There were times Scotland played well and while the opposition was poor, there were plenty of cause for some much-needed optimism after so many barren years.

Oh, Scotland. You little Malta-teasers. What with you giving us all hope and ideas above our station.

Before the game, those who believe Strachan had lost his desire for the job may have thought his team sheet read more like a resignation letter.

Chris Martin, not the guy from Coldplay, got a start against Malta instead of Steven Fletcher. Eyebrows were raised and questions asked.

Shaun Maloney, the best Scotland player of the last four years and more, was left at home, as were Ross McCormack and Jordan Rhodes whose exclusion was more understandable given his fall from grace at Middlesbrough.

However, Martin scored once and won, cough, a penalty, and then his replacement Fletcher got the fourth goal. If that was the plan then fair play to thee manager.

Oliver Burke played well before tiring, as did Barry Bannon, while Matt Ritchie and a few others comfortably got pass marks. Bannon in particular, who played deep in midfield, fulfilled his remit with aplomb. The Sheffield Wednesday man had a really good night

As did his team.

You know that way we never get one of those fluke goals which everyone else seems to get? Well, it happened early on when Snodgrass’s cross looped into the net to put the Scots in the lead after some decent outbursts of football.

And yet Malta were level within minutes when the usual defensive deficiencies hurt the team in the way a Peter Lorimer volley would do to the more delicate part of the anatomy.

But the understandable panic was premature. Ritchie's perfect cross set-up Martin for his goal, soon after that came the odd penalty incident and from then on it was a case of how many Scotland would score.

It wasn’t quite King Kenny scoring against Wales at Anfield; however, it was a start, and a good one at that for Strachan and his team who were missing some players you would imagine will be key over this campaign.

And talking about missing players, it gladdened the heart to see Snodgrass, a great player and good guy, score three times and looked every inch an international footballer after the best part of two years out with a knee injury so serious he wondered whether he would ever play again.

The final whistle went and everyone, from manager to players, those fans in Malta and the rest watching on television, were left with big smiles on our faces. More of this please.