James Wilson met the media at Oriam, fresh from receiving his maiden call up to the Scotland Men’s National Team. Aaron Fraser reports:
Since making his debut just over a year ago in a Scottish Cup tie against Spartans at Ainslie Park, James Wilson’s rise can only be described as meteoric. From banging the goals in regularly for Hearts B, who poetically play at the same venue where Wilson made his first team bow, to making his mark in the Premiership and becoming the UEFA Conference League’s youngest ever scorer, Wilson’s short career has already been full of remarkable achievements.
Now, he has been fast tracked into the men’s Scotland setup, taking the place of club teammate Lawrence Shankland. Wilson is in line to become the youngest ever player to feature for the senior squad, which would shatter the record currently held by John Lambie. Not bad for someone who is still attending school, and has only been legally able to buy a pint for a matter of days.
Thanks to his precocious talent, Wilson has been highly sought after both domestically and internationally. Even before he signed his initial first team deal at Tynecastle two years ago, Manchester United and Aston Villa were courting the young striker. Wilson is also eligible to feature for England, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland through his parents, and has pulled on the ‘GAWA’ jersey as recently as 2022.
However, the Tartan Army have nothing to fear regarding where Wilson’s allegiances lie. Born and raised in Scotland, the youngster has always had his sights set on running out at Hampden Park:
“I’m eligible for England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, I believe. Yeah, I feel Scottish. I wanted to be called up by Scotland and thankfully that’s happened.”
Wilson will be able to lean upon the wisdom of club teammate and father figure Craig Gordon while away with the Scotland camp, but he isn’t the only new kid on the block. Motherwell’s Lennon Miller is another 18-year-old who has just had his first call up, and Wilson is glad to have a fellow youngster there with him:
“I think it’s nice having another younger one that’s been called up for the first time. I had a little chat with him on the phone and he seemed really happy. So yeah, it’ll be nice to see him now.”
Neil Critchley broke the news to Wilson prior to Tuesday’s training session. To say he was taken aback was an understatement. Hearing such exciting news before even having the chance to grab a morning bowl of Corn Flakes would be too exciting for most 18 year olds to cope with. Even Wilson, who is always so laid back and takes everything in his stride, was too shocked to speak:
“The gaffer told me before training, and then I had to keep that quiet, so I went into breakfast. I was basically just stunned, I didn’t say a word. Then the (Scotland) squad came out while we were training. So after training, I got the congratulations, which was nice.”
Wilson is aware of the fact that he could become his country’s youngest ever player if he features at any point against Greece. It’s an honour that he would gratefully receive, but it’s not one he expected to be possible so soon. The pace at which Wilson has progressed has taken him by surprise. Pleasantly, of course.
“Yeah, I’ve heard about that. It’s crazy. I couldn’t believe it when someone told me. Yeah, it’s just crazy. I know it’s not something, like you said, it wasn’t something I was expecting to happen this season. So hopefully I get the chance, but I’ll just work as hard as I can while I’m there and see where it gets me.”
Despite having the option to ply his trade in England, Wilson opted to stay with his boyhood club. Featuring in European competition, scoring Edinburgh derby goals, and playing week in week out for the team he loves has certainly been the right choice. He’s a wise head on young shoulders, and is reaping the rewards of the choice he made.
“Yeah, I mean, you look where I’m at now. I think if I went down south at that age group, I’d maybe still be playing 18s football. Maybe not. I don’t know. But I’m really happy where I’m at now, I guess, is the way of looking at it.”
With fierce competition provided by Tommy Conway, Che Adams and Kevin Nisbet, it’s not a guarantee that Wilson will earn his first senior cap during this international break. However, given the early promise he has shown, it seems like it will only be a matter of time until he’s rippling nets in the dark blue of Scotland for many years to come.
