I AM delighted with the progress Scotland are making under Gordon Strachan.

I am delighted with the style of play and the consistency of their performances, delighted with pretty much everything - apart from the two goals we lost against Poland. I am being honest, I am starting to worry about our chances of qualifying for France 2016. Regardless of their recent results, I am still 100% sure Germany are going to win the group. Perhaps they are not so great defensively right now and it will be more of a struggle for them than I first thought, but in my opinion they will win the section.

I think you can see Georgia don't have the consistency to sustain a challenge, so that leaves us locked in this mini-league with the Republic of Ireland and Poland, both of whom are doing everything they need, battering in late goals and getting points where you wouldn't expect them to get any. Is it going to be another one of those campaigns? Another Scotland hard luck story?

Against Georgia you always knew it would get nervy if we didn't get the goal to make the result safe and that is how it turned out. But the performance against Poland really shows how far we have come. After going a goal down early on a noisy atmospheric stadium like the one in Warsaw, some Scotland sides of the past, would have capitulated and wilted under the pressure. Alan Hutton, who I always felt could have been one of the best defenders in Europe if he had devoted himself to working at his weaknesses, had one of those nights, but as a team they kept playing well, showing great spirit, and continuing to produce a good brand of football.

In both matches, Gordon Strachan made conservative substitutions late on, but I have no problem with that. It is human nature that teams drop back and what you do as a manager is play the percentages. I always said we had good players, but while a point in Poland was a big result, the way this group is going we might have to start winning games like those.

It seems like fate that next month's meeting with the Republic of Ireland at Celtic Park is going to be of such crucial importance to our hopes. There are so many links between the two teams. You have Robbie and Roy Keane, both former Celtic players, going back to Parkhead. You have Martin O'Neill going head to head with Gordon Strachan, and Aiden McGeady and James McCarthy, two Scottish-born, Celtic-daft lads could turn out in Glasgow in the colours of the Republic of Ireland. I wouldn't put my money on either team, but I think Ireland might now see a draw as a good result while the pressure is on us to win.

A point wouldn't really be much use to us. The Republic have two results they can aim for, a draw or a win, while I don't think we can afford anything less than victory.

I have to be realistic and I am worried about that game. I would be a lot more positive about our chances if it weren't for the late goals against Georgia and Germany which gave the Republic of Ireland an additional three points. You can't put it down to luck if you keep scoring late on. We have said it about Old Firm teams, even right back to Martin O'Neill's Celtic.

How many times did they get late goals to turn things around? Equally, though, you might say we carried a bit of luck with the Polish chances late on.

Some people have suggested that playing the match at Celtic Park, where so many of the Republic's players will be comfortable, hands them an advantage, but I don't buy that. Most international players have played at places like Celtic Park and that stadium played a big part the last time Scotland qualified for a major tournament, I was in the Scotland squad when we beat Latvia 2-0 there to qualify for France 1998. It really would be fate if it were to help send us back to France 18 years later.

A FEW pundits will be eating their words this season and I am going to get it out of the way right now. I predicted Hamilton Accies were going to be relegated from the SPFL Premiership. My reasoning was simple - I just didn't think they would manger the consistency because Alex Neil has so many young in his squad.

But, having watched them grow in confidence after playing poorly against Inverness on the first day of the season, I have egg on my face because there is no way they are going down. They are safe already and have a great chance to reach the top six. They deserve every accolade that comes their way.