THERE will be a few unfamiliar accents about when Scotland kick off their Sky Sports Victory Shield campaign against Northern Ireland at the Ballymena Showgrounds this evening.
There is nothing remarkable about the usual spread of the major domestic clubs being represented, but when was the last time a Scotland under-16 midfield contained a cockney-sounding wonderkid coming through the ranks at Arsenal and a Fortuna Dusseldorf player?
The two young men in question are Charlie Gilmour and Joshua Laws, both of whom caught the eye in a recent warm-up win at this level against Italy. Gilmour - who has a four-year deal at the Arsenal academy and recently signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Nike - owes much to his Glaswegian father Ian, who does some sterling scouting work for Arsenal and Scotland in addition to operating the Ian Gilmour Football Academy in Brighton.
"Charlie has done exceptionally well, because he is a '99 birthday, and is playing an age group up and can play again next year," said Scott Booth, the under-16 coach. "He has got a very London, cockney-style accent so it is quite strange to hear him asking for the ball or talking on the pitch. But he is a great prospect and has been involved from the start. He is great on the ball, has excellent technique, and is a stand-out for Arsenal's age-group team where he is getting fantastic training and coaching. So he is definitely one to keep an eye on."
Gilmour has now moved away from the family home to play with Arsenal's under-15s, and does his schooling three days a week at the youth academy. "He was playing with my under-eights' team when he was only six," said Ian. "I left Scotland when I was 15, 16, and played semi-pro for teams like Wembley and Lewes but he is far better than I ever was. He met Arsene Wenger when he signed his deal and got pictures with guys like Jack Wilshere. Obviously a hell of a lot of boys also don't make it there but he is a humble boy, he doesn't go about telling people who he plays for. He was born in Brighton but he loves the Scotland set up."
As for Laws, Booth - who himself feels the 18 months he spent at Borussia Dortmund opened his mind about football - believes the left-sided central midfielder could also hardly be in a better environment in which to develop. "Joshua can play a midfield role both defensively and going forward," Booth said. "He shows his dynamic side, and is a clean passer of the ball, particularly effective making forward passes. He scored an excellent goal against Italy and the way he plays is a reflection of being in Germany - the German style of play where you always have to be disciplined and very technical.
"I think his family moved over there through work. When players speak to me, I always say if they get the opportunity to go abroad they should go. For me, it makes you a far better player to experience different scenarios and a different way of life. You can always come back to the tried and tested if need be.
"I went over there later in my career but I was there for about a year-and-a-half and it completely opened my eyes, and gave me a whole perspective on the game. Training at a very high level was a massive learning curve. That year-and-a-half is something that I would never want to change."
As for the competition, England will once again be favourites, but Scotland produced an excellent performance against them even in defeat last year and Booth will be happy enough so long as the displays are up to scratch again. Elsewhere in the squad, Rangers goalkeeper Robbie McCrorie returns for his second stint at this tournament, with his brother Ross included in the defence. "If they perform well and play within the philosophy we want, no matter what the score is I will be happier with them," said Booth. "If we win having played poorly then I would be disappointed."
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