Making a Scotland debut in front of a partisan home crowd is one thing, but Johnny Russell admits the fact his first cap came against England fulfilled a boyhood dream.
Having been on the fringes of the Scotland senior set-up for some time, the ex-Dundee United attacker made his entrance on one of the grandest stages imaginable and made a near instant impact as he skilfully laid off another former Tannadice man, Andrew Robertson, to set up an intriguing climax to the game.
As it turned out, England quickly snuffed out any threat of a heroic comeback and ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.
But now that Russell has got a taste of first team action, the 24-year-old is keen to force his way into Scotland boss Gordon Strachan’s future plans moving forward.
“It has been a great 10 days and showed me what I need to keep doing if I’m going to keep myself in the squad,” he commented.
“It was a great game to make your debut in.
“Playing against England at Parkhead is the sort of thing you dream about when you are a kid.
“Personally I am delighted to get my first cap but the result has taken a bit of the shine off it.
“I was going to be coming as a fan to the two games anyway but to get the last minute call-up has showed me what I need to keep doing to stay here and that is my aim.”
Dundee United fans in particular would have been delighted to see Russell make his mark as he appeared as an 81st minute substitute at Celtic Park, and their smiles probably got wider as two former Tangerines worked their magic for Scotland’s goal.
Robertson and Russell’s pace and trickery got them into a great position in the area and the neat one-two between the pair allowed the former to slot home his first international goal.
And while Russell will be keen to add his name to the list of Scottish scorers in the coming months and years, he spoke highly of the new kid on the block.
“I was delighted to play a part in it and get Andy a goal,” he said.
“He has been brilliant and he is a great lad.
“We had hoped it would kick us on to get something from the game.
“We had started to play some nice stuff.
“There was only one goal in it and the next goal was always going to be vital but they went straight up the park and scored it which killed the game.
“But at 2-1 we felt we had a chance to get back in it.
“It just wasn’t to be.”
Russell has never looked back since leaving Tannadice in the summer of 2013 and continues to impress in a Derby County shirt despite narrowly missing out on promotion to the English Premier League last summer.
“Doing well at club level won’t do you any harm,” he added.
“I have got my first taste of it tonight and I am desperate for more.
“We have quality players outside the squad in Scotland and England.
“There are some very good players who are not getting in the squad so it just shows how well the boys who are in the squad are doing.”
Fellow Derby forward Chris Martin did not make quite the impact he would have hoped for on Tuesday night and was substituted at half-time, although Russell has tipped his team-mate to shrug off any criticism and come back stronger.
“The big man is really hard on himself, probably too hard on himself sometimes,” he explained.
“He is always like that even when he plays a blinder.
“It won’t affect the big man.
“He will keep working hard and keep doing what he does best which is scoring goals for Derby County.
“He was a bit down in the dressing room but that is just his character.
“He wants to be the best he can be.
“I stay away from him when he is like that. I share a room with him so I know he has a bit of temper.
“I see him every day and know what a quality player he is.
“His link-up play is fantastic, he is strong and he is so important for the way we play at Derby.
“So many of our goals come through him so I don’t think that will get to him.
“He will bounce back on Saturday and will be a top player for us again.
“I think in these occasions you always do try too hard.
“He maybe felt he had a lot to prove.
“You could see that by how hard he was working.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work out but there will be plenty more opportunities for Chris.
“I think he will be a top quality player for us over the coming years.”
Now that his feet are under the table for Scotland, so to speak, Russell suggests that the country must focus on Euro 2016 qualification rather than dwelling on a friendly defeat to the Auld Enemy.
“Friday was a massive game for us and we got the result that we wanted,” he concluded.
“That has put us in a nice position in the group. We go into the next qualifier hoping to pick up another three points to put us in a better position than we are just now.
“You never like losing games but the most important match out of the two was getting the three points on Friday against Ireland.
“We did that if you had to choose one it would be Friday all day.”