Middleton is bowled over by brilliance of teen Billy

SCOTLAND Under-21 attacker Glenn Middleton has hailed teen sensation Billy Gilmour as a dream to play with. The 18-year-old, who made his full Chelsea debut last weekend, shone in Thursday night’s 2-0 Euro qualifier win over stuffy San Marino in Paisley. And, while the young Scots squandered a few chances to add gloss to the final scoreline, Middleton is comforted by knowing if a forward finds space, Gilmour (below) has the ability to pick him out in even the most congested penalty box. ‘If teams give Billy time, he’s going to hurt them,’ he said. ‘When he’s on the ball you know he’s going to find you. ‘So it’s up to us to make the movements for him because he will get the ball to us. I feel we have a good understanding. ‘Should we have scored more than two goals against San Marino? ‘We knew which game plan they were going to come with and it was just about being patient and trying to break them down. We knew it would not be easy. No international games are easy. ‘We had a couple of chances which we could have scored from. ‘But you get three points for winning 10-0 and you get three points for winning 2-0.’ On Thursday night, Middleton was played through the middle up front, whereas he is normally found on the left side of attack for Hibs, where he is on loan from Rangers. ‘I’m happy to play wherever I’m asked to play for club and country,’ he said. ‘As a central striker, you need to be more clever — it’s all about being sharp in around the box and thinking with my feet. ‘It’s about being tidy under pressure and not giving the ball away. It’s different from being out wide. But I’m getting more experienced with every week that goes by that I’m playing first-team football. I feel fit, sharp and in a good place.’ Scotland continue their Under-21 European Championship qualifying campaign away to top seeded Croatia on Tuesday night. ‘That’s going to be a step up,’ said Middleton. ‘The coaches will give us a game plan, and it’s down to us to carry it out. ‘But I think this squad is very strong in all positions. It’s down to us to show what we have got. We are all good players and it’s about putting it all together to have a decent

campaign.’