On The Road: Billy Gilmour is grateful to the community where he grew up… now he’s giving something back

DAILYMAIL.COM • 3h ago

By HUGH MACDONALD 14:01 11 Oct 2026, updated 14:31 11 Oct 2026

The Three Toons have hundreds of stories about the Gilmours. Here are some more.

The family name is impossible to miss as one steps off the street and into a world where the creed is to give back even if one takes very little. The Billy Gilmour Stadium rattles and shivers in a blustery wind but its message of community is heard in every conversation, underlies every action by the committee of Ardrossan Winton Rovers.

Billy Gilmour, the diminutive player, stands tall in this. He has put his money where his roots are. A product of TASS Thistle boys’ club – the name denoting the three towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston – his family is ingrained in the Winton. His father, Billy, played for the club, as did his uncle, Ken Pollock. His cousin now plays for the under-20s and his brother, Harvey, is in the first team.

Billy has been a presence at the club since he was seven. He played and won tournaments on the then Winton Park for his primary school and at eight was joining his father in the training sessions for the first team.

He has now signed a five-year naming rights deal with the club. ‘He wasn’t hard to deal with,’ says Pat Breen, committee member. ‘He never is. Billy came down here to visit a kids’ training camp after the World Cup and he was mobbed.

‘I put it to him then. He’s such a decent guy, no airs and graces. He has all the time for the kids.’

Billy spent his weekend preparing for and then playing in Napoli’s 3-0 victory over Frosinone in Serie A. He did, however, find time to tell Mailsport: ‘As a home boy from Ardrossan, you try to give as much back to the community as possible and going there is something I always make a point of doing when I’m home.

‘For the young ones, it’s great to see there’s an opportunity with all the kids coming down at all age groups to train on this pitch.

‘When Pat Breen came to me with the idea, it was quite a proud moment, actually.

‘It really brings it home: this is where I grew up and played my football, where my dad played for many years, my uncle played, and I came down as a kid watching. Now my younger brother Harvey is down here doing his coaching and also playing.

‘It’s pretty special to come down and watch Harvey and knowing it’s named not just after me – but the family.’

Harvey Gilmour strides into the lounge a couple of hours before kick-off in this weekend’s match against Arthurlie and proceeds to demonstrate that the Gilmour family has not just the eye for a pass but the ability to tell a story.

The first goal scored at Billy Gilmour Park was scored by Harvey Gilmour. ‘It was a good finish, left foot, written in the stars,’ he says with a smile. He appreciates the goal against Kilbirnie Ladeside is part of a script so beloved of journalists but, as he talks, a tale of hard work and commitment slips to the surface.

Harvey, approaching 21, has followed the same path as his brother in playing for the same primary school and attending the same secondary, Grange Academy, which was part of the SFA elite programme.

His performance in the premier division match in the West of Scotland League shows, too, that he shares his brother’s technical attributes and he may have hopes of playing higher. He sidesteps all of this adroitly. He is delighted to be part of the Gilmour dynasty at a park that means so much to all of them.

‘I play against guys in the Juniors who tell me they are getting old because they remember playing against my dad. They all say he was a good wee player. He must have been decent.’

Harvey accompanied his mum and brother on expeditions to watch his dad but his critical faculties were not yet fully honed. He does recall, however, how much the club meant to the family.

It still does. ‘My mum and dad were here to see the goal against Kilbirnie. Billy missed it, of course, but he texted to say: ”Wow”.’

Harvey has his own coaching academy and is aided by Billy during the summers, in particular. It can attract 70 or more kids.

‘The kids were buzzing when they saw Billy at the camp. It was as if he was Pele,’ says his brother.

He adds: ‘Once he could not make a camp but he sent some voice messages for the kids. They came from him, Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne.’

Davie McKellar, director of football, has some legends he can namecheck, too. He played professional football for more than 20 years and was signed by Bobby Robson, Tommy Docherty, Jim McLean and Walter Smith.

‘I started out in the youth programme at Ipswich Town where we won the youth FA Cup,’ says the former goalkeeper. ‘I became a bit homesick and returned home to sign briefly for Dundee United. But my love for football seemed to be dwindling and I took a wee while out before signing here.’

Docherty soon took him to Derby County and Smith then recruited him for a season as back-up to Andy Goram.

‘I didn’t play a game but I am proud to say I pushed Andy hard. It was a great way to end my career,’ he says.

He looks back on his career with affection and his link to football remains unbroken.

‘I am retired now so I come up here most mornings with the rest of the lads. We all muck in. I am a local boy and we enjoy what we do. It is great for the community and this is why we do it. We had a tournament on a weekend here recently and there were 500 kids on the Saturday and 500 on the Sunday. Everybody pulls together here.’

McKellar, 70, talks of ‘growing with the club’ and that ethos is personified by Robert Macnamara, club secretary, who first came to the club at 12, was on the committee at 15 and is now approaching his 65th birthday.

He is quietly proud of the progress made at the club. He praises the committee and those who help out with maintenance of a venerable ground with a modern name. ‘There is a lot of work done here behind the scenes,’ he says. He is looking out over the artificial pitch that has helped increase footfall at the club and enhanced its reputation as a hub for the town.

‘Everybody in Ardrossan is pleased for Billy,’ he says. ‘He is going to be a mainstay of the national team and he has got himself back on at Napoli but this is where he grew up and it is very important to him.’

It is vital for the town. Winton Rovers now have women’s and girls’ teams, under-age boys’ sides, an under-20 team, mini-kickers, walking football, and a Street Soccer project.

There is an after-school programme that brings children from the three primaries in the town to the park where they can play and have a hot meal before heading home.

These children leave Billy Gilmour Stadium fed, watered and valued. They may even grow up to follow their hero. They will certainly remember the lesson of the importance of giving back.

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