Billy Gilmour is delighted to have his first senior goal as he helps Scotland produce “something special”.
Now he hopes to assist in another first as Albion chase a landmark win in the Europa League.
The Seagulls host Ajax on Thursday looking to build on a point gained in adversity at Marseille.
Gilmour was a lively influence off the bench that night in the Velodrome, as he was at Manchester City on Saturday.
And he is keen to really set the Seagulls on course for Group B qualification against the troubled former European champions from Amsterdam.
Gilmour said: “Ajax are another top team we have got to play against and we will be ready.
“We will turn up and make sure we get the win.
“It’s top teams, big players. It’s a massive stage, playing in Europa. We want to do well.
“We want to give something back to our fans who travelled away.
“We need to make sure we do as well as we can for ourselves first and then for the fans, of course.”
Gilmour’s recent travels saw him score for Scotland against France in a friendly played just after Euro 2024 qualification was assured.
The international window also involved defeat by Spain in Seville.
He said: “It was a good trip. The results didn’t show that but we have qualified.
“That was something that was the aim from the start of the campaign for Scotland.
“So it was a great time away and of course I got my first goal so I was delighted.
“I love going away with Scotland. It’s always an honour.
“The manager is top. All the boys there are really good so there is a real togetherness there and we are doing something special.
“We have qualified with two games to spare, we have got a great team, great players.
“Even the game against France, we played really nice football.
“We can work on stuff like the set plays we conceded.
“But definitely there is something special going on with Scotland at the moment.”
Albion are also in special times, even if the going has been tough of late in some games.
They were certainly second best in the first half at the Etihad before really testing the champions in the later stages.
While recognising they were up against a top team playing at their best, Gilmour believes Albion’s own first-half failings will be taken on board.
He said: “I thought the first half was a totally different game to the second half and that is something we have got to work on as a team, as a collective.
“We need to make sure when we come to these stadiums, against these teams, we need to do a lot better than that.
“Of course, they are a top team but there is stuff in there that we can limit from them to get their goals.
“We will look back on that and we will work on it.”
Asked about the second-half improvement, he said: “I think it was being more aggressive, a bit more pumped up to get forward and get up to your man.
“Tracking runners - a lot of stuff came into it.
“It’s big games every three or four days which will be tough, but we will look forward to it.”
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