JANE Ross has the happy knack of being in the right place at the right time and it’s not just in the penalty box. The 27-year-old Manchester City striker is a classic example of the new breed of Scotland player who has benefited from the rapid advent of women’s professional football.

As with the 48 international goals Ross has scored in just 100 games – the cap landmark arrived against South Korea in Nicosia on Friday – the blossoming of her career has not been a matter of luck. Scotland coach Anna Signeul is not exaggerating when she refers to Ross as a player who has worked tirelessly to emerge as one of Europe’s top strikers.

The outcome is that the player is living the schoolgirl dream she had on weekly, and sometimes twice-weekly, ferry and road trips from her native Rothesay to play for her first club, Paisley Saints. It is highly unusual, if not unique, for a girl or boy from a Scottish island to go on to play for their country – but thanks to the support of her family, and in particular her father, George, the vision has not only been realised but surpassed.

“He has always been very supportive of me and my football,” she says. “Looking back at what he had to organise, and the time he had to commit taking me from Rothesay to Paisley and back, including overnight stays, I’m very thankful to him.”

Ross was approached by Glasgow City when she was 16, and for six years was an increasingly important member of a phenomenally successful team. Winning her first treble remains a career highlight – alongside becoming a professional player with Swedish club Vittsjo in 2013; winning the FA Women’s Super League with Man City last year; and, of course, Scotland’s qualification for Euro 2017.

As an aspiring striker, Ross grew up in awe of the scoring feats of Julie Fleeting, whose 116 Scotland goals in 121 games is surely unsurpassable. Her current favourites in the men’s game are Sergio Aguero, who she observes at close quarters in Manchester, and Luis Suarez.

Her own game has evolved from being a wide attacker with Glasgow City to an out-and-out striker at her English club. Her play has also matured; instead of preferring the ball in front of her she has acquired the skills required by a target striker. She is sharp in the box and has good, quick movement.

Yet, little of this could have been forecast at Scotland youth level. Ross was not one of the better players, and was sometimes left on the bench.

All has changed thanks to her work ethic and she concludes: “The way the game has developed so rapidly in recent years there has been an opportunity to make a career out of football.

“When I was younger it was always a dream – but I wasn’t sure if it would happen for my generation, to be honest. What has happened has been amazing.”