Scotland captain Gemma Fay glad to mark 200th cap with victory
- Published
Fay was presented with her 200th Scotland cap prior to kick off
Scotland captain Gemma Fay admitted that the occasion of her 200th cap was more emotional than she expected.
A late goal from Christie Murray gave the Scots a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland at Stark's Park.
It was the final warm-up match before Euro 2017, with Scotland opening their campaign against England on 19 July.
"I had a wee tear in my eye thinking about the games that had gone before and everyone that's been there to help me," said the 35-year-old goalkeeper.
"I took myself away before the game and got myself together. I'm glad it's done now and we can focus on the Euros."
Scotland had to wait until the 85th minute for substitute Murray to head in the game's only goal.
"It was a great result, Ireland are a really tough team to play against that's why we picked them," added Fay, who made her first international appearance in 1998.
"It was important to show that we can be patient and that we have tenacity and we can grind out a result if we need to.
"We knew they were going to crowd the box and we knew it was going to be physical. They are a tall team and they use that as a weapon, we were just clear that if it comes in (to the penalty area) we get it out."
Scotland also meet Portugal and Spain in the Netherlands in Group D when they make their debut at a major finals.
The friendly victory in Fife was head coach Anna Signeul's farewell appearance in Scotland since she is stepping down to take up the Finland job after Euro 2017.
And Fay was full of praise for the Swede, who has led Scotland since 2005.
"She has galvanised women's football in Scotland and she's managed to motivate, inspire and empower people to get more out of themselves - not just players but coaches and volunteers," she said.
"It will be hard to see her go when we play that last match."
- Published7 July 2017
