David Wilson has told John Hartson his Gibraltar side will be the best "pub team" he has ever seen after the former Wales striker rubbished the credentials of UEFA's newest member before their clash with Scotland.

Scotland boss Gordon Strachan has been fully respectful of his European Championship qualifying opponents ahead of Sunday's Hampden clash, but his former Celtic striker was scathing of their talents.

Hartson used his newspaper column to claim Strachan's men would get just as stiff a test against 11 random players picked up at Glasgow Green an described them as a pub team.

But Gibraltar's interim head coach, born-and-bred Scot Wilson, insists his players will not be overawed by playing at Hampden, especially after restricting Germany to four goals in their previous Group D encounter.

"I normally like reading the papers but leading up to these games I don't bother," the 41-year-old said.

"Great professionals, good footballers are welcome to their opinions, but the opinion of the 23 lads I have got in the camp is what really matters to me, and what they think we can go and do.

"I tell you what, we must be the best-organised pub team that John Hartson has ever seen, because you bring your pub champions up and we will give them a game."

Preston defender Scott Wiseman admits Hartson's words serve only to motivate Gibraltar to improve further, as they have done since losing seven goals to both Poland and Republic of Ireland in their opening qualifiers.

"It's a bit naive of people to say things like that because they are not seeing the lads day in, day out and how technically gifted they are," said Wiseman, who qualifies for Gibraltar through his mother.

"They have just not had the professional football upbringing that I have been fortunate to have from a younger age.

"Technically they are on a par with anyone I have played with but unfortunately they have had a setback because they have not been coached the right way throughout the years growing up.

"We have shown we are improving game by game, whether it be the scoreline or performances, and that's the important thing."

Wilson insists there will be no defeatism from his players, who scored their first friendly win last year against Malta.

"I don't think anybody takes defeat as a given," he said. "You have got to be allowed a chance to dream.

"We are not naive to believe we can steal it but if we do the small things that we have been nit-picking at, we can upset anyone. It has happened for lesser teams than us on bigger stages than us.

"If we defend well, and frustrate for long periods of time, that's where the upset could come from. The longer a team like us can frustrate a team like Scotland, the tougher it gets for them."

Glasgow-born Wilson was back at Hampden for his side's pre-match training session for the first time since 1990, when he was among the Scotland fans watching Stewart McKimmie hit the only goal in a World Cup warm-up against holders Argentina.

Wilson was a YTS apprentice at Kilmarnock in the early 1990s before joining the Royal Navy, where his fitness coaching and rehab work brought him to work with the Gibraltar team.

Ahead of his debut in charge, he said: "There's not a point of the day that there's a part of my brain that doesn't frazzle when I think about walking out at Hampden.

"Just being here now is surreal. It's something you dream of as a kid.

"Being with these guys as close as I have in the last two-and-a-half years is a similar feeling. If anything I feel more passionately for us as a group and a country than the passion of being in Hampden itself. I've got a job to do.

"All the stars have aligned, the two greatest things I love in the world coming together on the same night is phenomenal."