Reaching a significant milestone in life and sport invariably brings with it heaped spoonfuls of reminiscences and reflection.
But on earning his 75th cap for Scotland against Lithuania tonight, Darren Fletcher will be trying his best not to indulge in nostalgia, and will instead be focused firmly on the present and the future.
The West Bromwich Albion midfielder is perceptive enough to know that three-quarters of a century worth of appearances for his country elevates him into the company of some Scottish football greats.
However, doing his bit to earn a win for Gordon Strachan’s men at Hampden Park and, in the long term, being a part of the first squad to qualify for a major championship finals for 20 years, is more than enough to ensure his forward thinking.
“It puts me beside some great names which is the most important memento when you see it alongside some of the guys up at that level,” Fletcher said. “It’s humbling.
“Paul McStay is ahead of me on 76 and he’s someone I grew up watching and was something of an early idol, an early hero. Stuff like that makes you very humble.
“I was always very ambitious but it’s easier thinking it than doing it and I’m very proud to have as many caps as I have.
“We’ve not carried much success but at the same time I’ve enjoyed every minute of playing for my country and I take great pride in it.
“The first 50 came really quickly and that period sailed by but since then, due to a range of factors, it has been more difficult to pick them up. But that’s part and parcel of football.
“I’m always onto the next one – that was always the mentality we had at Manchester United. You don’t look back. There’s always another challenge. I think it’s dangerous when you start saying ‘I’ve achieved this and that’.
“I’ve still got a great hunger and desire to achieve a lot of things. I’ll probably look back on it at the end of my career with pride.
“There have been a number of challenges. A lot of ups and downs. I wouldn’t change any of that.
“It makes you the person you are today. I’m still in the position where I’m the captain of my country in a massive World Cup qualifier.
“I still get the same excitement. Driving to Hampden today for training, you look at the stadium and you still get that little bit of excitement you did back then. It makes you appreciate the position you are in.
“I genuinely don’t think too much about how many caps I’ve got, I’m just trying to qualify – the game against Lithuania and hopefully a number of caps down the line will be towards achieving that goal of qualification for the World Cup.”
Lithuania are fitting opponents today, as it was against them back in 2003 that Fletcher announced himself to the Tartan Army with a winning goal that secured a play-off for Euro 2004.
“It does seem a lifetime ago,” the former Old Trafford man admitted. “It was my second cap and I scored the winning goal in my first game at Hampden.
“It was a special moment and when you look back on it in your career, having achieved quite a bit, it’s one of those memories that really sticks out. It gave me great confidence, a real starting point in my career.”
Back in the here and now, Fletcher believes the current squad is in rude health as they seek to build on their convincing opening day win in Malta last month.
He said: “We’ve always got a buzz around the squad and a positive mind set but off the back of a good victory, it always helps.
“It was a difficult game, everyone expected that sort of result but you have to go out there and do it and we came through the scare at 1-1. It sets us up nicely.
“There’s still a long way to go in the campaign, but we have a positive group.
“In attacking areas, attacking midfield and strikers the manager has a lot of choices which is good because goals win you games and in the past we’ve maybe lacked it a little.
“We’ve been hard to beat but not really carried that goal threat. So it’s great we’ve got that and when you see competition for places in training and matches, whoever the manager selects they have to be on top form and if not we have very able replacements off the bench.”
The next big cap landmark is of course 100. Even though his fitness and form is still at a level many a younger player would envy, Fletcher believes hitting the century is an unrealistic target.
“I doubt it,” he said. “Whatever number of caps I get I’ll be very happy.
“Who knows but it was always going to be very difficult. You’d have to qualify for a few tournaments and things like that.
“It seems quite far away, so I’m not thinking about that. All I’m thinking about is the next game and this campaign, and helping Scotland qualify.
“I missed a good chunk of it (through illness) and there were games I missed (when he wasn’t selected by Gordon Strachan) but I’m very grateful to still be sitting here.
“I faced my own battles, I came through them, so there’s no regret or anything like that. I’m still representing my country and it’s great.
“It’s up to the manager to keep picking me and keep giving me the caps. I’m in a talented squad and we’ve got competition for places, so I’ve got to be at my best.
“Caps don’t get handed out easily, and I’ve realised that in the last few years, so I’ve got to keep performing well. Hopefully we qualify and we’ll take it from there.”
He added: “It’s funny, Davie Weir texted me and said ‘you’ve got plenty of years left’. I said ‘maybe but I don’t think I’ll still be playing at 40 like you’.”
Don’t rule it out.
