France in summer, just the ticket

It seems somewhat prosaic to point out that Steven Naismith, like most players of his generation, has never attended a major tour­nament with Scotland. It is rather less so, however, to note how close he came: his parents were fortunate enough to source tickets for the unfortunate 3-0 defeat to Morocco in Saint Etienne during France '98, but the young Naismith watched it all unfold on television as he stayed with an auntie.

"My folks were at France '98," recalled the Everton striker, sure to be a key presence as Scotland kick off their attempt to return to that country for Euro 2016 with tonight's daunting assignment at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.

"They were on holiday and managed to get tickets. But it was also the first World Cup I really remember. I really took an interest in it and loved the atmosphere that surrounded it. In particular I remember the first game, giving such a good account of ourselves against Brazil and being unlucky to lose it in the end.

"That feelgood factor is what we want to get back to," he added. "So, hopefully, by the end of this two-year campaign we have got back and people are looking forward to a finals. We have a great squad and I would say this is our best chance of qualifying for years."

Naismith was glued to the television pictures of a major tournament again this summer, watching tonight's opponents crowned worthy world champions. The only difference now is that he can now regard much of that stellar cast as peers. In the last fortnight, he has shared a pitch with Mesut Ozil - who misses out tonight due to injury - and Andre Schurrle, while even icons such as Samuel Eto'o must fight for their starting place at Goodison Park like everyone else. No player in Strachan's squad is operating consistently at such a high level.

"I watched as many games as I could this summer," said the 27-year-old, who has scored three goals in as many games in this young season at Everton. "You're sitting there jealous of your team-mates who are there experiencing it first hand, while you're just a punter watching it.

"A lot of people were saying it was going to be a South American winner because of where it was but all the way through the tournament Germany showed their class, especially destroying the home nation.

"The biggest thing about them was that whenever they changed their team, they were still flawless," he added. "So it's not as if you're thinking 'he's going to be the weak link'. OK they won't have [Philipp] Lahm or [Per] Mertesacker or [Miroslav] Klose but the guys who come in are just as good. They're drilled into their formation, their system and how to play so that's the strongest point they have."

Naismith could line up either as a No 9 or a No 10 tonight - he has tended to fill the latter position this season at club level, perhaps due to Ross Barkley's injury - but he is one of the first names on the team sheets of both Roberto Martinez and Gordon Strachan.

While he admits he feels "confident in anyone's company now" after "feeling a bit inferior" when he arrived in England at first, in a Scotland jersey at least Naismith has always held his own against the best the world has to offer. His first start for his country came under George Burley in a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Netherlands at Hampden, while he also notched a goal against all-conquering Spain in another narrow 3-2 reverse.

"There is no better feeling than playing in these sort of matches," he said. "Playing against Spain when they were talked about as being the best national side ever definitely gives you confidence and I was fortunate enough to score against them too.

"And I made my first start against Holland when we gave them a good run - we were unfortunate that a late goal cost us. You have to take belief from that. We're maybe not as pleasing on the eye as these world-class teams but we play to our strengths. That's what the manager works on day in, day out.

"It's the first game and a lot can happen," he added. "Hopefully we can catch them cold and get a result. Argentina managed it so, hopefully, I can play like [Angel] Di Maria and we'll be all right!"

Naismith's contemporaries should be thankful for the work he does off the pitch as well as on it. In an era where footballers are routinely dismissed as spoilt and out-of-touch with the concerns of the man in the street, the 27-year-old is the case for the defence.

No saint on the pitch, he bucks the trend off it by doing charity work which includes Dyslexia Scotland (he himself is a sufferer), making donations to soup kitchens in Glasgow and Merseyside, and even handing out tickets for Everton matches to the homeless.

"These aren't big things to do," he said. "They're small things that, hopefully, make a difference. Overall players get a bad reputation for no reason at times. The majority of players come from a working class background and have a bit of talent that they end up fulfilling. There's probably a small minority get that reputation that seems to affect football in general.

"The biggest thing was hearing it from the people getting the tickets," he added. "The difference they say it makes to them. I've met them at the games and they've had a good deal so far, the Arsenal 2-2 and the Chelsea 6-3!"

Hopefully, for Scotland's sake, the goals will be in decidedly shorter supply in Dortmund tonight. But the unerring mixture of graft and craft exhibited by Everton's unlikely star striker may just be Scotland's best shot of a family reunion in France, two summers from now.