Billy Gilmour earned rave reviews for his end-of-season performances at Brighton.
The Scottish FA JD Performance School graduate has had to hang in there, with some stiff competition for a first-team place, but he’s been rewarded for his resilience.
He’s picked up where he left off at club level with Scotland – impressing in this week’s Spain-based training camp ahead of two games against Norway and Georgia that Steve Clarke has described as ‘pivotal’.
Billy’s keen to repay his international gaffer, who kept faith with him even when he was struggling for minutes domestically.
How’s the training camp been so far, Billy?
It’s been good to get everyone together again, training’s been good and everyone’s enjoying it. Some players have been away for a long time, some people have been on holidays. It’s different for everyone but we’re back in the swing of things.
This has come at a good time for you, off the back of a strong end to the season with Brighton.
I had to be patient, work really hard on the training pitch and I got my opportunity. I’ve been playing a lot more, so it’s been a good, enjoyable end to the season.
You’ve mentioned previously, off-camera, that even when you weren’t playing, you still felt like you were progressing because the Brighton manager had taken an interest in you.
The manager came in and got his ideas across straight away. It’s total football. When you’re watching it and when you’re carrying it out in training, of course you want to be part of it. You want an opportunity, you want a shot. When I got an opportunity, I had to prove myself to the manager, that I could play his style.
You haven’t really changed since you broke through at 16. You’re still obviously just desperate to play football, but is it easier to get your head around when you’re competing with a World Cup-winning midfielder and another who is regularly touted for a big-money move?
Of course. Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo have been unbelievable, so I knew I had to wait my turn. When it came, obviously you do put that bit of extra pressure on yourself because you want to do well and show people you can do it, you’re capable of it. But I remember in the game against Wolves that I felt calm and confident. Scoring the early goals also settled the nerves.
The manager here hasn’t been shy in singing your praises and said he spoke to you, briefly, in the last camp and said you just had to ‘knuckle down’. He’s kept you in the Scotland squad when you haven’t been playing for Brighton and clearly has your back. That must count for a lot as a player?
I’ve got a really good relationship with him. He always speaks to you. When I wasn’t playing for him, I knew why. He told me to be patient, to hang in there and keep working hard. It’s a simple message. I went back to the training ground, worked hard, did everything I could to get in the team and at the end of the season it worked hard.
You’re someone who has always turned up for Scotland, whatever the age-group. It’s something that means a lot to you and the novelty of playing for your country hasn’t worn off.
I love coming away with Scotland. No matter what age-group it was. If I was struggling with a little injury, I’d still want to come. The boys are good, and the staff are good. When you first come into any squad – at whatever age – you obviously feel a bit nervous. All the senior boys gathered round me and Nathan Patterson and made us feel part of it straight away. It’s been brilliant.
No-one is getting ahead of themselves, despite a strong start to the group, and the manager has said that the next two games – against Norway and Georgia – are ‘pivotal’. I take it you agree with that?
They will be tough games. We’ve Norway up first and we’ve already seen what they can do, with the players they have. We need to make sure we go over there, as we have been doing, and try to win the game. We’ve played together long enough to understand each other on and off the park. We’re a close-knit group. We all know what we have to do to beat these teams and it’s paying off.