Burley was a satisfied man as he reflected on his bow as manager.

“It was a very competitive game and, for me, Croatia are one of the best teams in Europe and they showed that in the Euro qualifiers against England,” he said.

“We had to work very hard, which we did.

“They started brightly and we conceded a goal but we hung in there and got back into the game. That showed character.

“So, overall, I am very pleased with the commitment against a top quality side.

“That is what we’ve been about for the last few years under Alex McLeish and Walter Smith so we need to continue that.

“Our last campaign saw us miss out on qualifying despite some very good performances.

“We now have to build towards the World Cup qualifiers and with each game we learn a little bit more.

“Croatia had top-class individuals and we maybe don’t have that in certain areas but we have other qualities.

“It was an honour for me and I tried to enjoy it and I will work as hard as I can.”

Miller was thrilled to get on the scoresheet, netting his 11th goal for his country.

“It was good to get the goal,” said the Derby County frontman.

“Going 1-0 down was a disappointment—it was a really good goal the lad scored. But it was good to get the result after going one down.”

Burley’s side may not have won in his first match in charge, but a draw against the team who beat England at Wembley last November was pleasing to Miller who hoped the new manager would see plenty of positives.

“It’s always good to get off to a good start,” he said.

“We’ve not had a lot of time to prepare for the game but I think we put what he wanted us to do into practice quite well tonight.”

Miller’s shot for his goal took a deflection, but he shrugged that off, saying, “It helped it on its way. I think it was going in anyway.”

Celtic’s Stephen McManus, who skippered Scotland in the absence of Barry Ferguson, was a proud man.

He said, “It’s an honour and a privilege. I made sure I kept all the kit after the game and that’s one set which won’t be going anywhere. It’ll be a great souvenir of the night.

“It’s not really sunk in to be honest, but the crowd was boosted by a few family members who wouldn’t normally be here.

“Kenny took his goal really well and has proved again that he can score at this level and when you look at the likes of Kris Boyd and Steven Fletcher in the squad too it’s obvious that we’ve got a goal threat.

“Steven settled into the squad really quickly and his ball for the goal was superb. He’s an exciting talent and definitely one for the future.

“There’s a real feel-good factor about this squad, we’ve had some great results recently and the new manager has come in, kept the boys together and it’s all in place to keep that going.”

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who seemed to be deceived by Kranjcar’s shot for the opening goal, said, “That was the first time I’ve played with the new Diadora ball and you can tell it wasn’t designed by a goalkeeper!

“In fact, it seems to have been made to make our lives more difficult.

“The ball took an incredible spin and dip before it got to the goal and that’s what caught me out.

“It was a great hit but the ball made it even worse for me but us goalkeepers will just have to get used to it.

“I thought the lads battled back well and this is a good result against a top quality side.

“We have shown time and again that we have loads of fighting spirit and that was evident tonight.

“Towards the end we had a few chances of our own but we couldn’t take them but getting the draw against a side like Croatia is a great start for the new manager.”

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic was also pleased with the outcome as his team prepare for the Euro Championship finals in the sumer.

“It was a great test for us, it was exactly the one we wanted,” he said.

“We didn’t just want to play a game and that is the reason I chose Scotland. It was a really competitive game and it was like a game for points.