Bosnia .................... 1

Scotland ................ 2

It was close to midnight when the Scotland manager, Craig Brown, drew his squad around him in their Sarajevo hotel and told them what the result against the Bosnians had achieved.

It had been the team's first competitive victory away from home in three years, and it had also arrived against the main contenders for the second group spot which guarantees a place in the play-offs for the European Championship finals.

Brown spelled that out and then added: ''This is the best result I have known since being involved with the national team since 1986. This fixture was a potential banana skin, and yet we came through it with a fighting display. I cannot remember anything better.''

No-one in the stadium in

Sarajevo would disagree with that, from the members of the Tartan Army through the ranks of the Royal Highland Fusiliers who are in the city as part of the

United Nations peace-keeping force.

The regiment's drum, paraded among the fans, carries battle honours from Sebastopol to Corunna, from Arras to the Cape of Good Hope, and now there is another name to be added -

Sarajevo. For this weekend Scotland's footballers gave a new impetus to the old regiment. The victory was not expected and that gave it a little extra lustre which the players enjoyed on the flight to Estonia and a second test on Wednesday.

Before that, however, Brown was able to bask for a little spell in the sunshine of success. It was Brown who persevered with Don Hutchison whose honeymoon kept him out of the games against the Faroe Islands and the Czech Republic in the summer. It was Brown who persisted with Billy Dodds as his main striker when the Dundee United man was criticised.

Yesterday, as the squad arrived in Tallin, Brown could afford a smile of pleasure at the way these two men collected the first-half goals which gave Scotland this vital result.

It was Hutchison who scored the opening goal - with a little help from Dodds - and it was the little Dundee United striker who scored the spectacular

second just a minute before half time. That was the goal which decided the game and which could yet carry the Scots into the play-offs and even into the Finals in Holland and Belgium next summer.

Brown said: ''Dodds did really well for us and I think you can take it that he is now our first choice striker. He works so hard and is always ready to strike when the chance is there. The second goal was superb. It's funny, I was sitting there on the bench with Alex Miller and we were both saying 'Pass the ball, give it to Neil McCann' because Neil was in a better position, and then he saw a gap and he shot and it was in the net and that goal won the game.''

Dodds added later: ''When I won the ball and went forward I saw Neil McCann and the ball was on my left foot and I did thing it might be better to pass to him. But I saw the opening there and even with my left foot - and I have scored with it before - I thought I should have a go. It worked out perfectly and now we have the chance of reaching the play-off stages.''

Brown recognises that his team did not reach any great heights against the Bosnians. He accepts, too, that there were below-par performances from some of the players after he had asked them to take on roles which they were not entirely comfortable with. David Hopkin was one example after the Leeds United midfield player was given the right back slot and often found himself under pressure from the Bosnian attackers.

Colin Calderwood, too, was exposed as the Scots were forced into a more or less orthodox back four when Bosnia played three men up front.

Brown admitted: ''They almost burst us by playing three men up. It made us have to alter our set-up and we had some uncomfortable moments while we adjusted. But we did it, and we came through what was one of our toughest tests.

''I have to be pleased with the way the lads performed. Okay, we had one or two who did not do as well as we hoped, but this was a team display. They played as a unit and they won as a unit. I could not have asked for any more from them.''

As well as the goals from Hutchison and Dodds Brown was warmed by the displays from goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, who had some superb stops, and from Colin Hendry who revels in this kind of backs to the wall situation.

Hendry was caught out in the early minutes when Marko Topic moved clear of the Rangers defender, but from then on, he was an inspirational figure at the heart of the Scots' defence. The goals came in 12 minutes after a long throw-in from David

Hopkin had put the Bosnian goalkeeper, Mirsad Deid, under pressure. The keeper panicked and fumbled the ball away for a corner. From the kick, taken by John Collins out on the left, Dodds sent in a header which the nervous Deid pushed away and there was Hutchison who hooked a shot into the net from just outside the six-yards line.

Bosnia equalised when the Scottish defence was caught out after a bad pass from Barry

Ferguson gave the ball away. A swift ball out of defence saw Elvir Bolic race away from Colin Calderwood and then, as Sullivan hesitated in his way from his line, the Turkish-based striker struck the ball past him.

That should have lifted the Bosnian team but before half time it was Scotland who scored again. The ever-persistent Dodds dispossessed one of the Bosnian defenders and his glorious left foot shot gave Deid no chance.

There is no doubting that Brown's team can play better and that they will play better. But they will rarely produce a better and more important result than this one and for that their praises must be sung loud and long.