West Bromwich Albion striker Scott Dobie found the net in his first appearance for his adopted country when he took part in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Dundee United.

Dobie is an Englishman who, like many before him in recent years, is allowed to pull on a Scotland jersey because he has a grandmother who hails from the country.

And the striker who helped propel the Baggies into the Premiership took little time to impress manager Berti Vogts after coming on as a second half substitute.

The scorer of the first goal possessed an undeniably authentic Tartan pedigree as Wigan's Paul Dalglish is the son of Celtic and Liverpool legend Kenny, the Scots' most capped player.

This was a match that was played in front of no fans and a handful of journalists but, had any United following been present they would have been sure to have made a noise in the fifth minute when Charlie Miller went down in the box under Stephen Caldwell's challenge.

Caldwell, the Newcastle defender, was capped under Craig Brown and has since seen his younger brother Gary gain favour under Vogts while he languishes in the reserves.

But this time fortune was with him as play was allowed to continue, to Miller's disgust.

United could feel aggrieved in the 10th minute when Dalglish fired the Scots into the lead.

Skipper Gavin Rae had put him clear but he looked suspiciously offside when he lofted the ball into the net.

Goalkeeper Alan Combe is a Dundee United player although he has been away on loan at Bradford City.

So he was denying his own team-mates when he saved from Tassos Venetis, Stephen McConalogue and Stuart Duff.

Kevin Kyle, the beanpole Sunderland forward, was causing United problems and almost slid onto a low ball into the box by Chelsea's Warren Cummings.

The Sunderland man almost set up Dalglish but at the last moment David McCracken was there to intercept.

Combe then denied Danny Griffin an equaliser direct from a free-kick on the edge of the box and it was another United man - Miller - who kept the score at 1-0 at the break.

He hacked off the line after Lee Wilkie, the Dundee defender who used to support United as a boy, had headed a corner goalward.

The impressive Combe was replaced at the break in favour of Dundee's Jamie Langfield as the Scots used all seven substitutes.

Dobie was one, partnering Wigan's Andy Liddell up front, and he was denied by Gallacher when a slip-up in the United back line allowed him to get in a low drive.

But he marked his Scotland 'debut' with a goal in the 58th minute when another substitute, Fulham's Kieran McAnespie, lofted in a cross from the left and he rose to head the ball past Paul Gallacher.

James McFadden's fledgling club career has been a success at Motherwell in spite of the financial troubles at Fir Park and the confident youngster saw Gallacher make a good save before he fired another effort wide.