SCOTLAND fans have rarely journeyed with a swagger in their step.

Games against the bigger nations are approached with a feeling of impending doom and a fear that fingers and toes may not be enough to keep track of the score. Even matches against the so-called minnows tend to be viewed with a sense of exaggerated caution, like Inspector Clouseau tiptoeing up to an unmarked parcel left on his doorstep, magnifying glass in hand, sensing some sort of trap may lie in wait.

It is to the credit of manager Gordon Strachan and his players, then, that Scotland fans can breathe a bit easier once again. Pride and optimism have been restored to the extent that the international break has become something to look forward to rather than dread.

There will, therefore, almost be an alien sense of cockiness when the Tartan Army head to Hampden on Sunday. Gibraltar are in town and, where once that would have sent shivers down the spines and

sparked memories of previous embarrassments against the Faroe Islands and Liechtenstein, the feeling among most fans going to the game will be that Scotland will win. And win comfortably.

This is Gibraltar's first involvement in a qualifying campaign. In their first game they shipped seven goals to Poland. It was the same in their first match away to the Republic of Ireland. They then tightened things up a bit, losing only three to Georgia, four to Poland second time around, and four away to Germany. The matches against this tiny British territory - population 30,000 - will ultimately count for nothing as results against the bottom side in groups of six are discarded, but Scotland will still want to demonstrate a show of strength to build confidence for the remainder of the campaign.

The pertinent question, however, is this: where will this expected barrage of goals come from? For if there is something lacking in this Scotland squad, it is a reliable centre forward who can be called upon to score with unerring regularity.

Who is the poster boy in this group? Whose name emblazons the back of the Tartan Army's shirts? Once it was Faddy, the cheeky boy with an eye for goal and a mazy dribble. Now it is hard to pinpoint a fans' favourite.

In the squad Strachan named last week, the leading scorer is a midfielder, Darren Fletcher, who has five goals from 66 appearances. The four forwards in the group have a total of eight goals between them. Steven Fletcher, a player who became more popular when he wasn't being picked, has scored just one international goal, and seven goals in two years for his club, Sunderland. Jordan Rhodes,

who has both rotated in and out of the squad over the years, has three. Stevie May has played just one game and didn't score. Even Steven Naismith has just four international goals from his 34 caps, most of them admittedly earned in a wider position.

Those are not the sort of figures that will have the Gibraltar defenders quaking in their boots before they head down the Hampden tunnel on Sunday afternoon.

Look in contrast at Scotland's Group D rivals. Germany, naturally, have a wealth of attacking options including Marco Reus, Thomas Mueller, Mario Goetze, Lukas Podolski and Max Kruse. Poland boast the prolific figure of Robert Lewandowski. Ireland have enjoyed the massive contribution of Robbie Keane - 65 goals for his country, and also have Shane Long and Kevin Doyle to call upon .

The leading scorer in the SPFL Premiership - Aberdeen's Adam Rooney - cannot even get into the Ireland squad despite netting his 25th goal of the season at the weekend. If only he had a Scottish granny.

Where, then, are all the Scottish strikers? Leigh Griffiths was a surprise omission given his recent strong displays for Celtic but has never scored at international level. Chris Martin from Derby County falls into the same category. A look at the leading strikers at the biggest clubs in the country highlights the problem. Celtic, alongside Griffiths, go with a Swede, a Serb and an Irishman. Dundee United's main goal threat is Turkish. Hearts favour a Swedish/Dutch twin strikeforce. Rangers have Scots strikers in Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd, but the former has retired from international football and the latter has been completely out of sorts.

Down south, the picture is even bleaker, with Naismith the only Scottish striker to feature regularly in the Barclays Premier League. There is little in the way of encouragement in the Scotland under-21 squad either. The likes of Jason Cummings and Lawrence Shankland offer promise but neither is ready for the step up.

Strachan has performed miracles in imbuing Scotland with hope and optimism once again. Unearthing a prolific centre forward would be his greatest act yet.