Billy Stark expressed his relief and delight after beginning his competitive tenure as Scotland Under-21 manager with a vital victory over Finland at Pittodrie.

The young Scots entered the match trailing their Group 6 opponents by eight points and knowing that a win was paramount if they were to keep alive their ambition of reaching next summer's European Championship Finals in Sweden. A late winner by Dundee's Kevin McDonald - after Kasper Hamalainen had cancelled out Steven Naismith's well-worked set-piece opener - means Stark's side still retain an outside chance of topping the group with three matches remaining.

"I am obviously delighted with the result - that goes without saying," Stark revealed. "I was asked before the game if we had to win this one and of course I felt we did. If Finland had won tonight it would have put us out of the equation.

"We got the breakthrough through a set-piece, which gave us a great lift and then the game ebbed and flowed. They got the equaliser, which was very deflating, and we suffered a wee bit after that. I was hoping we wouldn't fall behind as they would have been really difficult opponents to get back in front of."

Stark revealed that, despite the quality of the opposition, he had an inkling that a winning goal would eventually arrive for his side. He added: "It was a difficult game for us because of the way the Finns play but we showed great character to come back to win it. Sometimes you get a feeling in a game that you will get a chance or two because of the way the game is developing. When a chance came along we took great advantage of it. It was a great quality ball from Ross McCormack to Kevin for the winner. He took a great first touch and it was a fantastic finish. From the first ball to the drive it was top drawer."

McDonald, the Dundee midfielder, was bashfully modest about his strike that saw off the plucky Finns. "We went out to get three points and we got three points," he noted. "It's a bonus that I've scored so I'll take that on board as well. It's up there with the best goals I've ever scored, especially when you consider the occasion. That makes it a wee bit better."

The Finns will perhaps feel aggrieved with not earning a draw after dominating for most of the second half, but McDonald felt his winning goal was a reward for Scotland's dogged determination. He added: "We were wearing them down but they came back at us. We just had to keep our concentration for the full 90 minutes and we got the goal at the end. They were physical all over the pitch. In the end we dealt with it and got the three points we needed."

Scotland still trail the group leaders by five points - albeit having played a game fewer - and so must win all their games and hope the Finns slip up in one of their two remaining matches. "We know we have to win every game so that's what we need to go out and do," said McDonald. "Hopefully a couple of other games go our way but it's what we do that's the most important thing."