Bougherra missing as predicted in the papers and still Strachan's pre-match line-up didn't appear to take advantage of the fact.
Big Kyle laboured manfully out wide up front taking ball after ball with his back to goal - but labour in possession he did. Still, it was between him and Whittaker and Sasa for our Man of the Match. Cracking shot on goal.
Every time I've seen the big man play for Northern Ireland he's played a blinder. How about starting to play him regularly in the position and in the way he plays comfortably? Otherwise that £4million-plus pricetag will be a weight that drags him down.
As the game went on I wouldn't say I lost interest but the poor quality of the game started to overwhelm me - the inevitability of the scrappy passes and off-target shots raising barely a groan in the stands.
It's a poor excuse to say Timmy was only a little less worse than us but when the highlight of their play was Samaras feigning injury it says a lot.
Samaras - here's a bit of advice big chap. When you are really hurt the responses of the human body mean you do two things - 1/ You immediately apply pressure to the pain area. 2/ You still the body to stop the pain and let you assess it. Rolling around, taking your hands way, moving body position several times all tells the world you're at it.
Saying that, they took advantage of one set-play to get their opening goal - our free kick from Mendes a couple of minutes before half-time kinda summed up our day - lame, off-target and disappointing.
A word about Timmy. They sang the Soldier's Song with a fervour not seen for 15 years. And we all know why.
Missing men - Hartley I only noticed when he was subbed and big Kirk when he got sent off!
Our highlights? A few mad charges up the field out of defence with the chaps at full-pelt - linesman flag goes up. Boydie looked lackadaisical in finishing a couple of the chances he had.
It wasn't a classic.