Smith ‘hopeful’ over captain

SCOTLAND manager Walter Smith is “hopeful” captain Barry Ferguson will be fit for the World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Saturday.

Assistant boss Tommy Burns has already declared the Rangers midfielder will be available after being withdrawn from the win over Dunfermline with a hamstring problem at the weekend.

The 27-year-old trained at Hampden Park with the rest of the Scotland squad, including Lee McCulloch who is set to have a pain-killing injection on a knee injury today.