Billy Gilmour - journey from 'Oor Billy' to Scotland's hope

Billy Gilmour’s shot travel is 1 not travelled alone.

Last Wednesday day successful Frankfurt Airport's’ Terminal A, a platoon of Tartan Army ft soldiers were readying themselves for nan last limb of their journey. Among them, was nan Gilmour brigade.

A clutch of number 14s connected nan backmost of Scotland strips moved done nan place, nan aforesaid sanction centred supra them successful homage to 1 man.

Mum and dada were there, pinch much than a twelve others marching down to support nan man Scotland fans are screaming to beryllium nan saviour of nan nation’s Euro 2024 campaign.

But that support, aliases so belief, is thing caller for Ardrossan’s brightest son, fondly nicknamed 'Oor Billy'.

It each started pinch a shot astatine his feet arsenic soon arsenic he could walk.

Grandad practiced pinch him, mother Carrie took him to training, while begetter Billy Snr coached him astatine his boys club, Tass Thistle.

"My dada was successful nan Navy for 9 years," Gilmour told BBC Sport. "He played shot himself, astir apt not to nan aforesaid modular arsenic me, but he says that’s wherever I get his skills from.

"Everything I did, each time erstwhile I woke up it was, ‘I want to spell and play football’. To opportunity I’m a master footballer now, I’m happy.

"My family person been brilliant. Every location crippled they’re there, distant games they travel down excessively and nan aforesaid pinch nan nationalist team. They’re my biggest supporters."

Mum has cursed nan deficiency of ornaments successful nan Gilmour location increasing up successful fearfulness of a consecutive changeable aliases pass, while footage of him arsenic a youngster shows him careering astir nan plot wearing shin guards truthful large he resembled a lucky goalie, specified was nan embryotic spark of his shot journey.

Rangers yet came calling and truthful did an early chance to beryllium progressive successful first squad matters.

"Of people it’s your dada [who is your inspiration], but football-wise it was Cristiano Ronaldo," he said. "When I sewage a spot older and I understood what position I was going to play in, it was [Andres] Iniesta.

"I trained astatine 15 years aged pinch nan first squad nether Mark Warburton and David Weir.

"The kit ne'er fitted maine aliases nothing. I was buzzing, I sewage my ain number. I was 65, it’s travel down a batch now."

The number has travel down while nan banal has risen immeasurably.

A move to Chelsea came successful 2017 for nan teenager, successful a move that grabbed nan headlines northbound of nan separator arsenic Rangers mislaid 1 of their brightest prospects.

The woody was done conscionable aft his 16th birthday, pinch his elder debut coming nether Frank Lampard conscionable 2 years later.

"I took that jump," said Gilmour. "I had afloat assurance successful myself to travel down and springiness it my best. I ever knew I could spell back, but I’d regret it if I didn’t.

"It was decidedly a difficult decision. What made it easy was my dada being distant for 9 years. He said, 'you’re going to consciousness homesick sometimes and if you are it’s normal, conscionable springiness maine a call’.

"Frank was astonishing pinch me. He gave maine nan chance astatine Chelsea to definitive myself. He gave maine a batch of trust."

On nan move, Lampard told nan Scottish FA’s Oor Billy documentary, external: "There was thing astir him successful position of his characteristic and his family’s way, his mum and dad, that it struck location to me. A very normal family.

"They really wanted to support their boy."

A fistful of Chelsea appearances came for Gilmour, who by this constituent was increasing successful stature.

In nan hunt for much crippled time, though, a indebtedness spell to Norwich City would beryllium a difficult play for nan Scot pinch nan Canaries being relegated from nan Premier League.

However, nan commencement of that play would bring Gilmour’s first world cap, pinch him going connected to play a starring domiciled successful Scotland's tie astatine Wembley astatine nan past European Championships conscionable days later.

"It decidedly ne'er went to plan," said Gilmour of Norwich.

"When looking back, it’s helped maine a lot. Nobody wants difficult times successful their career, they deliberation it’s conscionable train and play and you’ll start, start, start. But that’s impossible.

"It was an oculus opener and I learned a batch much astir myself than nan football."

Now portion of a Brighton squad that looks astatine location successful nan precocious echelons of nan Premier League, Oor Billy looks arsenic comfortable successful his ain surroundings.

Only conscionable turned 23, he is simply a linchpin for his nine broadside and whitethorn good beryllium successful statement to effort and thief his state get their Euro 2024 run backmost connected way against Switzerland connected Wednesday.

Gilmour started connected nan chair successful Scotland’s 5-1 thrashing by Germany successful Munich, and already location is immense clamour among fans and pundits to spot if they’ll get their wish.

"He’s been superb pinch me," Gilmour said of head Steve Clarke earlier nan tournament. "Of people I’m from nan aforesaid area arsenic him, he’s an Ayrshire boy.

"He’s helped maine a lot, particularly astatine my clip astatine Norwich erstwhile I wasn’t playing. He had that loyalty to prime maine and say, ‘look, you’re not going to play, but you’re portion of nan squad. Train and activity difficult and spell backmost to Norwich’.

"When I came into nan squad he made maine consciousness invited from nan commencement and I conjecture he now looks astatine maine arsenic an older player. I’ve been successful nan squad for a mates of years and trying to return much responsibility.

"I’m not a kid now."