Charlie Mulgrew was pleased to help Scotland get off to a winning start as they eye qualification for Euro 2020.

Scotland were beaten 4-0 by Belgium in a friendly last Friday but bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Albania in their opening UEFA Nations League match.

It was a first victory on the road to qualifying for Euro 2020, with the 32-year-old targeting a positive initial qualifying stage against both Albania and Israel.

Mulgrew lost the captaincy to Liverpool full-back Andrew Robertson but played both of the recent two friendlies and remains a big part of the Tartan Army’s plans.

And excited about what is to come, Mulgrew said: “These are important qualifying games and that is how we have approached it.

“Right from the outset when this squad came together, the focus was on the Albania game and getting off to a good start. This is a chance to qualify for the Euros, so we want to win every game in the section to put us closer to achieving that target.

“We were happy with the performance on Monday, it was about us being on the front foot. We knew the big game of this international break was the Albania one and we wanted to get off to a good start.

“They are a better side than people give them credit for. They were at the last Euros so that shows they have quality. But it was about us.

“We were aware we haven’t started other campaigns the way we should have so we knew we’d have to be on the front foot.

“I thought in the first half we were unlucky not to be ahead but thankfully we got a couple of goals in the second half.

“There were a lot of positives going into half-time, we got the goals we needed to and we’ll move on from here. It’s up to us to create the atmosphere and give the fans something to cheer moving forward.”

Mulgrew played in the centre of a back three, a role he has played during his time at Ewood Park.

Hearts defender John Souttar played to the right of the Rovers skipper on what was his first international cap.

And Mulgrew says boss Alex McLeish is looking for his side to play out from the back.

“John looked very comfortable, he looked good on the ball and we are happy to have him,” he told The Scotsman.  

“We have defenders in the squad who are good with the ball at their feet.

“That’s the way football is going, you have to do the basics well of course, but the manager wants us to get on the ball and play. That is something we are capable of doing.”