Declan Gallagher will never take Scotland call-ups for granted, having been cut loose as a kid at Celtic.
Gallagher was 20 when he was told that the bright lights of Parkhead didn’t shine for him, but has bounced back and says he can learn from the example set by fellow defender and Liverpool star Andy Robertson.
The Motherwell captain had been involved with the national team for exactly a year last Monday, and says he’s delighted to have carved out a career for himself.
“The best example of that is Robbo,” he said. “Look where he is now. He’s a Champions League winner, playing for the best team in England.
“He was at Queen’s Park and then Dundee United, so he has experienced life at the bottom of Scottish football and is now at the top of European football, so I think everybody can take inspiration from him – even myself, at the age of 29.
“If can take inspiration from him and just see that if you keep working hard and have dedication you can go right to the top.”
Gallagher, who had spells at Clyde, Dundee and Livingston before his move to Fir Park, is now ready to play his part on Thursday when the Scots attempt to get past Israel and into the European Championships play-off final against Norway or Serbia.
As a kid, he watched Scotland tackle these big games with the Hampden roar behind them.
But with the game played behind closed doors, the Scots must find a way through on their own.
Gallagher, whose side drew 1-1 with Israel last month in the UEFA Nations League, added: “It’s a massive game. We know how important it is for the nation.
“We know 50,000 fans had bought tickets for this game and they can’t be there but we know how much it means to them and how much it means to us.
“We know how hard it is for the fans not being there. It’s also hard on ourselves but we are professionals and we have to deal with that.
“We’ll be giving it everything out there to make sure we get to the final.
“It’s going to be a completely different game from the last one. We can’t judge anything on the last game.
“We are fully confident in what we have to do.
“All we do is worry about ourselves and the best team on the park will show that night.”
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