FIFTEEN years have quietly flown by since Don Hutchison's finest hour.

His towering header at Wembley, from a Neil McCann cross, was insufficient to take Scotland to Euro 2000 at England's expense, but it did enter the iconography of our meetings with the Auld Enemy, jostling for space among such illustrious old images as the Jim Baxter 'keepy uppy' of 1967, Kenny Dalglish's accidental nutmeg on Ray Clemence in 1976 or the Wembley goalposts crashing to earth a year later.

Born in Gateshead to a father from Nairn, Hutchison can still recall in technicolour detail the gamut of contradictory emotions he experienced during those heady days of November, 1999.

This was an England team under Kevin Keegan which boasted Alan Shearer and Michael Owen at the peak of their powers, not to mention treble winners Paul Scholes and David Beckham. The first leg, at Hampden, had been decided by two characteristic late runs and finishes from Scholes, something manager Craig Brown would memorably blame on the absence of Paul Lambert, whose teeth had been unfortunately kicked out during an Old Firm match a week earlier.

"He sort of drifted in from nowhere really and I remember Colin Hendry and Christian Dailly having a big row afterwards about who was meant to be marking him," said Hutchison. "But I will never forget the atmosphere. It was truly amazing, one of the best I have ever played in."

The second match would prove equally frustrating - albeit for a different reason. While he had personally excelled and Scotland had thoroughly redeemed themselves at their final visit to the old Wembley - only a point-blank save from David Seaman from Dailly's header prevented extra-time - it didn't take long for the devastation to hit home.

"I always loved playing in the lion's den," he added. "I always sort of rose to the occasion. Whenever I was playing in cup competitions against lower division teams I could never get the same juices flowing. I loved the Liverpool derbies, or the North East derbies, and I guess England v Scotland is the ultimate. It is what you are in football for.

"So I loved the atmosphere at Wembley, of being hated, of them booing the national anthem. That fired us up even more.

"If you look back at Craig's record, especially away from home, we had given some big teams some big problems. We had guys like John Collins and Barry Ferguson who could handle the ball in there and play, so we were sort of better off hitting teams on the counter-attack. We were really confident of beating anyone away from home.

"As for Dailly's header, we had practised that corner every day for weeks and weeks," he added. "I was starting by the goalkeeper, making a forward run to the near post, taking one of them with me, and everything starts from there. All our big boys were piling into the box and it worked an absolute treat. Everything came off apart from David Seaman pulling off a worldy save.

"I am convinced if that game goes to extra-time, we win the game. We had all the momentum, we were playing the better football. Every single one of us dominated our individual opponents. Every one of us was an eight or nine out of 10," added Hutchison.

"I remember coming into the dressing room and I was over the moon about how the game had gone, especially with me getting the winner. I was 20 seconds after everybody else and so happy inside about it, but when I came through the dressing room door people were in tears, just on the floor.

"I know it is selfish to be pleased about how you performed, but I got a reality check straight away - the reality was that we hadn't qualified for the tournament. I never made it to one and that England match still haunts me."

Hutchison, now a lively, ­informative pundit for Premier League Television, as well as an occasional columnist for the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, will reprise his role in Tuesday's match, playing for a Scotland fans XI which takes on its English counterparts at Lesser Hampden on the day of the game.

He is scathing about the way England's Barclays Premier League superstars regard their international team - Liverpool's Raheem Sterling recently affronted Roy Hodgson by calling off due to supposed "tiredness" - and wouldn't be surprised at all if Gordon Strachan's side go one better than their narrow 3-2 defeat at Wembley in August last year.

"I think they are very average," he said. "On paper you look at them and there are some good names there, but there is something missing. They are an average side, not exciting or dynamic. I don't know if this has always been the case, but you get the impression it is a bit of a chore for the England boys to play for their country. Whereas it is the complete opposite for the Scottish boys, a real honour. I don't know this for a fact, it is just the impression I get: that it means a bit more to the Scottish boys," he added.

"They all have the Premier League week in week out, and sometimes when you watch them play against the lesser teams, it bores me to tears. That shouldn't be happening with a country the ­­ size of England but it is not my problem.

"Under Gordon it is a bit like Craig Brown, he has restored a lot of pride. If we can keep the ball well enough, with the passion Gordon has got in the team I think it is very realistic that we can beat them."