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You could have heard a pin drop inside the ZTE Arena in Zalaegerszeg on Monday night.
Every sound, from the screeching and squealing to instructions, insults, and pleas, echoed in the eerie silence. Even on a good night for Scotland, it was a stark reminder of how unwelcoming football matches are without supporters.
At half-time, you were tempted to strain your ears and listen for the sounds of despair coming from the Belarus dressing room.
The full-back didn’t return for the second half. Vadim Pigas stepped in for him, perhaps feeling he could have passed on this uneasy opportunity to someone else.
Belarus could have assigned half their side to mark the Scotland forward out of the game and you’d still have backed him to find a way.
Gannon Doak turn on the style for Scotland in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Belarus
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Steve Clarke was pleased with his performance after he helped open up the Belarus defence
They tried crowding him out and they tried clipping his ankles. They tried standing off him then they tried breathing down his neck.
Each time he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, those in red jerseys looked like they’d fallen for a magic trick.
Gannon-Doak didn’t score his first Scotland goal, but his contribution was hard to understate.
When he eventually left with 16 minutes remaining, Belarus might have felt a sense of relief, yet they are surely anxious about meeting again at Hampden on October 12.
The beauty from Steve Clarke’s point of view? Bournemouth’s £25million man isn’t even close to being the finished article.
During Monday’s match, there was a moment when he lingered with the ball longer than Andy Robertson approved, resulting in a turnover. The 19-year-old was well aware of his misstep. There is a good chance he will learn from this experience.
Such minor flaws are expected in someone so young. Across his time at Celtic, Liverpool, and Middlesbrough, he hasn’t yet played 40 matches. He’s learning with each game.
However, it’s hard not to be mesmerized by his current abilities; a blur of talent that turns defenders into mere statues. A once-in-a-generation talent who can achieve as much in the sport as he desires.
The Belarus defenders did everything in their power to try to stop Gannon Doak
Gannon Doak appears to be wise for his age, as well, and can only get better
For so long Scotland looked enviously at the X-factor other nations possessed. Even with room for improvement, the Ayrshireman is already ours.
The most encouraging thing is that there’s a recognition of the need to kick-on. Those young shoulders have a wise head on them.
‘It comes from moving from a club like Liverpool where I was around a certain calibre of player,’ he explained
‘You learn that you’ve got a long way to go in the game. You learn about the level that’s required to be a world class player when you see the guys in that squad.
‘I don’t even have to name the names. It has shown me that I’ve got such a long way to go.’
He needs no one to tell him that he’s the blue-eyed boy of the Tartan Army. This is sensibly dealt with.
‘It’s brilliant to feel that from the fans, but I don’t look at social media,’ he stressed.
‘Because it can very easily go the other way. Fans can get on to you, I’ve seen it with other players.
Vadim Pigas (left) was brought on at half-time to try to contain Gannon Doak
‘I try to never get too high or too low. I don’t want to let the praise or stick affect me.
‘It’s about keeping my head in the game, that’s all you can do. I don’t really feel the pressure. I don’t look at all that stuff.
‘I fell into that trap before when I was a bit younger and it can really take its toll on you.
‘I’ve learned not to look at it and enjoy what I’m doing. I’ve been playing football since I was four or five years old. I’m getting to do what I love.’
He’s come a long way from kicking ball about in the streets of Dalry, but the journey has not resulted in an inflated ego.
It was instructive to hear his response when his first-half destruction of Karpovic was mentioned.
‘Their full-back got subbed at half-time, of course,’ he said. ‘But I got subbed at half-time on my Bournemouth debut so what does that tell you?
‘You can get taken off for any number of reasons. So, I don’t look too much into it. It’s all about my own game.’
After a productive loan spell with Championship Boro, the hope is that the forward will now be let loose on the Premier League’s finest.
‘You can talk about how to improve your decision making all you want, but the only way to do that is by playing games,’ he added.
‘The more and more you play, the more situations arise. If you get one wrong, you need to think in your head – the next time that happens, I’m going to do this or that.
‘It’s just a matter of experience.’
This extends to the inevitable disappointments. One arrived in Copenhagen on Friday. His exclusion from the starting line-up couldn’t have been easy to fathom.
‘I’m always disappointed not to play a game of football,’ he reflected.
‘But the gaffer is the gaffer. It’s his decision. He spoke to me, along with the rest of the staff.
‘I felt good in training before the Denmark game, but I understood the decision. Even if I don’t understand it, I have to accept it.’
Injury prevented Clarke from taking Gannon-Doak to the Euros and there will always be a niggling feeling that the story of woe might have been different if he’d been on board.
His presence at the outset of the World Cup qualifying campaign has certainly added to the sense that the good times may be returning.
For so long, Clarke’s side looked to be burdened by how it all played out in Germany, but key individuals look to have rediscovered their mojos.
Between a point taken in Denmark and the ticking off a dangerous assignment in Hungary, it’s been an encouraging start. Beat Greece and Belarus next month and qualification will be in our grasp.
‘It’s been a good camp overall, getting four points,’ Gannon-Doak reflected.
‘We enjoyed last night, but we’ll now go back to our clubs, get down to business, and get ready for next month.
‘I just want to go back to Bournemouth now and get more minutes.
‘If I do that at club level, I’ll come back for Scotland even sharper and who knows what might happen? Maybe we could get to the World Cup.’
