THE never-ending season will finally write its concluding chapter here tonight.

Whether it is to record another memorable result in a season of such dramas, or to insert a forgettable footnote, only time will tell.

The fact the Czech manager, Karel Bruckner, announced he plans to use his fringe players is perhaps a mercy, given how depleted George Burley's resources have become in the run-up to this match.

It has been difficult enough for the new Scotland manager to find dates for games, let alone players to take part in them and the last thing he needs is to send everyone away on their long-awaited summer holidays with a roasting in Prague as their sign-off.

And there should be no doubt the Czechs are a side capable of inflicting severe damage to anyone who is not 100 per cent on the money in terms of application and attitude.

They are little more than a week away from kicking off Goup A of the European Championships with a match against Switzerland.

The squad, which has been at the forefront of success on the international stage for several years, has been designed to peak at precisely this time.

By contrast, Scotland are back at the very beginning, having slid down a snake when their attempt to climb the ladder into the Euro Finals was scuppered by Italy at Hampden back in November.

Burley desperately wants to sustain the momentum gathered in that campaign, which surprised so many by its good start and commendable middle, only to falter at the very end.

The consequence of a nine- month gap this failure created between competitive games was always going to be a challenge.

Burley knew this when he accepted the job in January, but the reality is truly hitting him only now.

As much as his team, perhaps even more he needs to show he can carry forward the progress made under Walter Smith and then Alex McLeish.

Burley is very much still on trial in this job, his only pre-vious opportunity to show his mettle coming in March with the 1-1 home draw against Croatia.

There is no doubt the rash of call-offs from that initial squad, and the alarming drop-off from this one, is seen in many quarters as a head-on challenge to Burley's authority.

He has been irked more than disappointed by the withdrawals, but he has tried all he can to mask his true feelings.

The attempt by him to suggest that if the players who are reporting do well it will make it tough for those absent to step back in when the World Cup qualifiers kick off in Macedonia in September is laudable, but not realistic.

How could he say to Barry Ferguson or James McFadden, thanks, but no thanks?

Burley admits: "There has got to be competition for places, and we want to have the situation where we have 25 or 28 players who are there all the time."

The best he can hope for this time around is that the players who are putting themselves forward for international duty - some before they might be ready - seize the moment and give others food for thought.

The performance against Croatia was a bonus few anticipated. A repeat tonight would be even more welcome.

Perhaps more important, however, is that serious damage is not done to Scotland's confidence, notoriously fragile though it has always been.

No-one will remember who exactly pulled on a Scotland shirt in the AXA Arena. But a heavy defeat would live forever on Burley's CV.

Genuine progress appears to have been made with the battle put up against France, Italy and Ukraine for a place in next month's Finals.

If anything, the Czechs are likely to be even more dangerous, given the fact the back-up men given their chance tonight will be desperate to show they should be included in their manager's thoughts.

Burley's man-management and tactical skills will be fully tested. He remains calm, but knows that, even if billed under the heading of a friendly, this is a serious examination of his credentials. He continues to talk up his players. They now have to walk the walk for him, and he believes they can.

The manager said: "We have a good squad and the players are looking lively and up for it. They have not slipped into holiday mode. This is a friendly, but we are looking for good performances. And we will be trying to get something out of this game.

"It's part of the learning process. Yes, we've had call-offs. But we have enough players to put out a strong Scotland side.

"This time what we still have is a group who are desperate to be involved and pushing for World Cup places."

Burley knows that the major competitions are where heroes are made, not in end-of-season dead rubbers, even if it is against a side ranked No.6 in the world.

But reputations can be irre-vocably sullied on such occasions, and Burley accepts it is his responsibility to draw a performance from the remains of his squad.

He said: "It's the manager's job to get the best out of the players who are available to him. We have an abundance of talent and the nucleus of an exciting young squad. We will try to utilise that the best way we can and put on a good performance.

"The call-offs may mean I have to change my game plan slightly. You can only pick a team from the personnel available. But we will have a good blend of youth and experience."

The saving grace for Scotland is that keeper Craig Gordon and Celtic defensive unit Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus are here along with a surfeit of strong midfield players.

Barry Robson and Paul Hartley are expected to link up with Darren Fletcher while, up front, Kenny Miller is also aboard, so the spine of the team is decent.

That, hopefully, will keep the Czechs in check.