It is just over 1,500 miles as the crow flies from Thurso to Shkoder, or a 38-hour continuous drive by bus. Gary Mackay-Steven has not entirely ruled out folk from his home town making exactly that trip to follow Scotland to Albania on Saturday night.
If there is a Tartan Army flag saying “Newmarket Bar, Thurso” Mackay-Steven knows he will have his very own fan club in the Loro Borici Stadium for the penultimate Nations League Group C1 qualifier. The 28-year-old’s career has included stops in Liverpool, Dundee, Glasgow and now Aberdeen but to fellow Highlanders he will always be a Thurso boy.
Mackay-Steven, Aberdeen’s main attacker, is out of contract in the summer
ALAMY
“There are a lot of Scotland fans where I’m from. I don’t think there will be any in Albania . . .