WHILE there are thousands of Tartan Army members who would love to swap places with those who are lucky enough to be representing their country at the European Championships, the sacrifices these players make to chase that dream often go unnoticed.

Take Declan Gallagher for instance. The big defender isn’t complaining about his lot in any way, but between the training camp and the tournament, he could be away from his new-born baby and the rest of his family for the best part of two months. Maybe that should be borne in mind the next time a player’s commitment to the jersey is being questioned.

As undoubtedly difficult as that is for Gallagher to handle though, it is all worth it as he chases his dream of pulling on a Scotland jersey at a major tournament, rounding off what has been a dream period for the 30-year-old.

“A three-month old baby, it’s always brilliant to get away from them!” Gallagher said. “No, it’s always hard to be away from the family. But my wife (Nikki) makes the biggest sacrifice.

“She’s at home with two kids, doing that by herself. Her mum and dad are away at the moment, my parents are in Glasgow and she’s in Dundee.

“So I think she’s doing more sacrificing than I am. But she knows this is my dream – and she’s living it with me. I’m thankful for everything she does.

“We had a wee boy (Ashton), he’s only three months just now. I’m FaceTiming as much as I can right now because he’s changing every day. He’s a wee tubby thing at the minute!

“As I’ve said to my missus, I’m not going to start speaking to him until he can head and kick a ball! He needs to grow up quick.

“No, it’s been great, he’s got his wee Scotland top – I put a picture of that up on Twitter. So has my daughter (Shay).”

Life on the pitch is going almost as well for Gallagher these days as off of it, with a move from Motherwell to Aberdeen the latest step in his ascension from the lower leagues.

“I pinch myself all the time, I am still pinching myself just now to be honest,” he said.

“This is a dream come true. Just playing for your country is a dream come true but to be at a major finals is incredible. These things don’t happen that often and if I am honest I never saw it happening in my career.

“I was League One with Livingston, I was playing part-time for Stranraer and Clyde and the next thing you know I’m at a Euros. It’s amazing for me and it’s something I hold dear.

“They say things come in three. I became a dad again, I’ve moved to a new club and now I’m in the Euros squad.

“I’m just delighted, words can’t describe how happy I am for myself and for my family who take great joy in any success.

“My career has gone from strength to strength. I never doubted. I always had a belief and desire that I would make it. When I left Celtic I signed for Clyde and I was with Jim Duffy.

“He said he would help my career by working with me closely. He was a tough centre-half himself and something just told me it was the right move. Working under Jim really pushed me on.

“I owe a huge debt of thanks to him because he really gave me the belief that I could get myself back to the top. He gave Barry Smith the recommendation that got me back into the top divisions.

“I came from Livingston in the championship, winning back-to-back promotions, stayed in the [Premiership] and then got my move to Motherwell. We finished third so the next logical step was pushing for a Scotland call-up.

“It was something I always had my eye on. Stephen Robinson really pushed me on at Motherwell too.”

Gallagher is hoping to get some more game time tomorrow evening when the Scots take their next step in their preparation with a friendly against Luxembourg, having come off the bench in the second half of the draw against The Netherlands on Wednesday.

He says that the positive performance and result has helped to solidify the belief the players have in the plan Steve Clarke is implementing, though he hopes that it hasn’t made the rest of Europe sit up and take notice of the quietly confident Scots.

“There is a good momentum being built,” he said. “There’s a good club atmosphere being built here, with us being such a close-knit group.

“The fact that the strength in depth is so good, with seven players left behind the other night, is a help. We’ve had two other players join up, one a Champions League winner and the other a Europa League finalist. That just shows you the quality we have.

“But, at the same time, we have to stay just quietly confident. Being the underdog works for Scotland, not getting too carried away.

“If we can stay under the radar and progress through the group stages, that would be massive for the country.”