THIS was the ultimate. The worst of the lot. One day Scotland will run out of stomach-churning ways to exit the running from major competitions, but for now the open season on the nation's football followers continues.

It would have been bad enough to have been relying on the Republic of Ireland to do us a favour in Warsaw on Sunday night - like Gary Mackay in reverse - having got the result which it was assumed would see us as good as in a play-off place for France 2016 only to learn that Martin O'Neill's side had achieved the impossible and beaten World Champions Germany. But things were about to get much, much worse. A Kamil Grosicki free-kick was allowed to cross the crowded penalty area, rebounding off the foot of the post, before the lunging Robert Lewandowski got the final touch with the very last kick of the game.

It confirmed a further fourth place finish for a Scottish side who have now finished 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 3rd and now 4th again since they last qualified for a major tournament but that was utterly insufficient to tell the tale of Scotland's Euro 2016 rollercoaster. Quick as a flash, the Tannoy man at Hampden stuck on Dignity by Deacon Blue. It struck a chord with a Scotland side who had left with theirs intact in the most trying of circumstances.

Form is temporary, class is permanent so they say, and while Lewandowski's double ultimately defined this game Strachan had found his own options limited. There was a statement of faith in Matt Ritchie and James Forrest, both of whom delivered their finest performances in a Scotland jersey, and a further nod to a front two of Steven Naismith and Steven Fletcher. Say what you like for Leigh Griffiths, Jordan Rhodes or Chris Martin, but it is doubtful any could have done much better.

One heartening sight was Darren Fletcher on the park even if he was ultimately unable to rekindle memories of October 2003 against Lithuania, when the aspiring 19-year-old starlet scored the late winner which rescued Berti Vogts' side. As it was, his strike only took us through to another helping of misery against the Netherlands in the play-off but how Scotland craved the chance to get back there.

The Tartan Army pride themselves on taking over an opposition ground but this was akin to an away match for Scotland, as exuberant Poles bought up £45 and £50 tickets to populate both ends of Hampden. The non-PC joke doing the rounds beforehand was that it wasn't the day to try to find a tradesman to get your patio laid but plumes of red smoke filtered into the night air and there were fireworks on the pitch too, particularly in a breathless start and end to the match.

Considering the days and days of talk about what physical damage Grant Hanley, Russell Martin and co were going to inflict upon Lewandowski, in truth at first everyone seemed scared to lay a finger on him. Arkadiusz Milik was allowed to advance on the back four and the Bayern Munich superstar hared into the space behind Russell Martin. He got the benefit of the doubt when it came to the offside line, and even David Marshall seemed to make it far too easy for him as he was beaten down at his near post.

After all those echoes of the Euro 2008 campaign with Tbilisi, it was all eerily reminiscent of the anti-climactic conclusion to that campaign, when weeks and weeks of pre-amble were punctuated by an early Luca Toni strike. It is one of the peculiarities of the national psyche, though, that Scotland often play their best stuff when backed into a corner. One down, in front of a hostile crowd, the supposedly 'home' side rediscovered themselves, even if Jakub Blaszczykowski could have ended it all there and then if he hadn't tugged his shot a foot wide of the target.

Brown reminded Lewandowski of his presence with a dig to the ribs, and Ritchie threw himself wholeheartedly into a challenge on Michal Pazdan. Ritchie's big moment, however, was just arriving. The Bournemouth winger wowed Match of the Day viewers with a sublime volleyed strike against Sunderland recently and he endeared himself to his adopted nation here. Forrest repaid his manager's faith with some clever, patient work on the wing and rather than launch it into the box, he found Ritchie on the edge of the box. With one sweep of that left boot Ritchie was free, the ball past Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski - the Swansea man who was surprisingly preferred to Wojciech Szczesny - in a flash.

The half time whistle blew there and then, an echo of what would transpire at full time.

Hampden was abuzz at half time but second half almost provided a repeat of the first, as Marshall was called into action to defy a MIlik shot after only 24 seconds had elapsed. But Scottish morale was on the up here and the second was another bolt from the blue. Hutton was alive to the threat when Poland attempted to take a quick free-kick, and when Darren Fletcher fed Ritchie the Poles were in trouble. It was a lunging Polish foot which took the ball into Fletcher's path, but his curler into the far post was a thing of quality. The same man should have made it three with a header which was straight at Fabianski, but Scotland's luck started to go south when Shane Long scored what turned out to be the winner in Dublin. As it turned out, the fates were just getting started. While our fellow home nations look ahead to their expanded Euro 2016, Sunday's play-off party against Gibraltar in Faro will have all the atmosphere of a wake.