If Andy Robertson’s first 101 caps for Scotland taught him anything, it’s that we have never been a nation to make life easy for ourselves. It’s in our DNA.

Why, therefore, would he have expected cap No102 to be any different?

This was meant to have been a celebration of one of Scotland’s greatest-ever servants on the night when he equalled Kenny Dalglish’s total appearances against the whipping boys of Nations League Group B1.

As the cliché goes, there’s no gimmes at this level. But that’s nonsense. This is exactly what Robertson’s special night should have been. A gimme.

The visitors hadn’t registered a goal yet in this campaign, never mind a point. They were rotten when Robertson and Co scored twice without reply in Skopje last month, and it was the same story for much of this forgettable contest.

The problem is that Scotland weren’t much better. In the first half, at least.

Thankfully, they got the job done after the break to ensure it would be a night Robertson will look back on fondly after all.

He’s earned that too, even if his own individual performance didn’t quite hit the heights of so many that have gone before. But nobody will remember that.

Perhaps he knackered himself by covering what must have been around 10km in a small-sided kickabout during the warm-up. He may not have the same turn of pace in his arsenal that he possessed when he first broke into the international fold as a fresh-faced teenager. But, in terms of intensity, the 32-year-old is still an animal, in the nicest possible way. He hassled and harried every one of his team-mates throughout the pre-game stuff, barking out all sorts of instructions along the way.

In many ways, he is still the same standard-bearer he’s always been. It was a shame he couldn’t quite lead the way when the serious stuff got started.

Operating on the left-hand side of a four-man midfield, the Spurs man – as he does as frequently as ever – bombed up and down the flank all night. However, his deliveries from several promising positions weren’t quite up to scratch.

A couple hit the first man. A couple cleared the upright. None caused any sort of alarm in the North Macedonian backline.

He was made to work harder than he would have liked at the other end too, as the visitors threatened to spoil the party on more than one occasion in the second 45.

In truth, he didn’t look particularly comfortable in Sebastien Pocognoli’s new-look side. Then again, few did.

The Belgian will be given plenty of time to really put his stamp on this Scotland team, but there’s no two ways about it. The early signs are uninspiring to say the least.

By the end, people got sick of the attritional style employed by Steve Clarke. Pocognoli arrived with a reputation for going with a more enterprising approach.

Really? It’s fair to say, the wait to see it in action goes on.

It’s not the time to panic. But you get the sense patience is already being stretched amongst some sections of the Tartan Army.

They weren’t shy in airing their frustrations last night. Scott McTominay was on the receiving end of a few grumbles, as was Ben Gannon-Doak who once again did so much right until the all-important crucial last bit.

Yes, he may have won the winning penalty which John McGinn duly slotted away, but let’s be honest, there was more than a touch of good fortune about it.

He should have burst the net when put clean through by Oli McBurnie long before keeper Stole Dimitrievski caught him near the byline.

The Bournemouth youngster is seen by many as undroppable, and there’s merit to that argument in that Pocognoli doesn’t have anyone else like him to call upon. However, he needs to improve the final part of his game to ensure he becomes Scotland’s main man in the years to come.

Had Scotland been a few goals to the good by the time McGinn stepped up to notch his second of the night, you suspect Robertson may have fancied taking the spot-kick himself.

If only it had been that comfortable.

Still, the record books will show that Robertson’s record-equalling night will ultimately go down as a triumph for all involved, even if it didn’t feel like it at the time.