Liam Bridcutt refused to be disheartened after his Scotland debut ended in a 2-0 defeat by Serbia.

Scotland’s World Cup hopes ended in Novi Sad as the Albion midfielder’s international career began with a fourth consecutive qualifying defeat.

But the 23-year-old showed more than enough to suggest he has a bright future at this level.

Bridcutt was Scotland’s best player, covering well in a holding midfield role, keeping possession, making some important interceptions and showing the confidence to organise his new team-mates.

Bridcutt said: “It’s always great to make your first appearance and get my first cap.

“This is a great learning curve for me. You always want to progress in your career and the only way you are going to progress is playing games like this.

“Gordon (Strachan) has given me a great opportunity to show what I can do. I tried to do my best for the team. On the day it just wasn’t enough.’’ Scotland’s newer players performed well in Serbia with experienced defenders Alan Hutton and Gary Caldwell culpable as Scotland conceded two soft goals around the hour mark.

Bridcutt said: “It was very disappointing obviously, we were in the game up until the goals. There were a few mistakes but it’s something we have got to learn from and move on from.’’