European Qualifiers: Scott Brown says win over Georgia confirms Scotland's self-belief

Stand-in Scotland skipper Scott Brown says his team's European Qualifiers 1-0 win over Georgia is proof they have their self-belief back.

The Celtic midfielder was inspirational on his return to Gordon Strachan's team after missing last month's opening 2016 qualifier against Germany with a torn hamstring.

That 2-1 defeat to the world champions in Dortmund is now the only defeat the Scots have suffered in their last eight games.

And after Akaki Khubutia's own-goal at Ibrox handed the Scots a 1-0 win at Ibrox, kick-starting their Group D campaign, Brown said confidence is now surging through the squad.

He said: "We're getting the belief back, we're looking strong and we got the three points, which is the main thing.

"We have got to take every positive we can from it. We created chances and could have been three up at half-time. We defended really well and were solid all the way through.

"They didn't even have a shot on target, so it tells you how well we defended."

The victory over Temuri Ketsbaia's men will only increase hopes that Scotland can finally bring a curtain down on their 16-year wait for a taste of tournament action when the European finals are staged in France in two years' time.

Brown has suffered along with the rest of the Tartan Army in his nine years as an international player as a number of bright dawns have failed to result in a happy ending.

But he sees no sense in looking back to those failed campaigns of the past.

"The way we are playing right now we have got to look forward and try to be positive," he said. "We don't need to look back on what happened two or three years ago. We need to look forward to the future."

Brown was forced to watch last month's 2-1 defeat to the Germans at home after tearing his hamstring during Celtic's pre-season tour of Austria.

But he was Strachan's surprise choice to skipper the side as regular captain Darren Fletcher was benched after playing just 25 minutes for Manchester United since the Westfalenstadion clash.

The Celtic battler repaid his manager's faith with a tireless yet intelligent display.

However, he was in no mood to speculate on whether he will hold on to the armband against Poland in Warsaw on Tuesday night.

He said: "It was good to get a Scotland jersey back on again.

"But let's be honest, it is not about who is wearing the armband. The only thing that matters is that we get the three points."