Soccer: Running in the family

Lord Byron once said "modesty is the only sure bait when you are fishing for praise" but for Scot Gemmill he has every reason to be modest about his football career.

In an era when many top sportsmen aren't shy about talking about themselves, Gemmill has something close at hand to remind him of how much further he had to climb to reach the pinnacle of the sport, even though he played more than 200 top-flight games with Nottingham Forest and Everton and was capped 27 times by Scotland.

Sitting in his house is the European Cup-winners' medal his father Archie won with Nottingham Forest in 1978. If that wasn't enough, there are the constant reminders of the goal his father scored for Scotland against the Netherlands at the 1978 World Cup, a goal regarded as one of the greatest ever.

Playing in the shadow of a famous father has been a curse and a blessing but the 35-year-old midfielder is realistic enough to suggest the positives far outweigh the negatives.

"If my father hadn't been who he was in the footballing world, I don't think I would have made the grade because at the crucial time of 16 and 17 I wasn't mature enough to get a contract," he said, admitting he was clutching on to the European Cup medal his father won. "I think I only got a contract because my surname was Gemmill. I hope that wasn't the case later on in my career but it was crucial at that stage.

"It was hard because you're constantly in his shadow but I'm honest enough to admit I wouldn't have been able to play without him.

"I'm also realistic enough to know, compared with other people including my father, that I didn't really achieve anything of note. I made a living out of the game and I'm grateful for that but I've just watched the Champions League and I'm just like anyone else who sits there and wishes they could do that too. I'm in awe of those guys, even though I played against a lot of them."

Such honesty in sport is refreshing and his honesty as a player is something that attracted Paul Nevin.

The Knights caretaker manager approached Gemmill earlier this year, soon after he had been signed by League Two outfit Oxford United.

He is regarded as extremely fit and capable with a good touch but already some have questioned Gemmill's signing given his age and given the lack of success the Knights had with ageing English players last season. It's something, however, that Nevin dismisses out of hand.

"I think it's a concern for people who don't know him but... he's a very fit boy and once you see him he's not a 35-year-old as you would perceive a 35-year-old to be," Nevin said. "It's not an issue as far as I'm concerned."

Although Gemmill talks about joining the Knights partly for "lifestyle" reasons, he's insistent he's not here for a holiday. In some ways, the Knights rescued the midfielder from what might have been an inglorious end to a career in the lower leagues and Gemmill wants to "repay the faith".

"I went to Oxford about six weeks ago and knew I didn't want to play in the English League Two," he explained. "I don't want people to think I'm above that, it's just that I'm not that kind of player and I don't think my game is suited to the [kick and rush] style that's played.

"But I would have stayed there if the Knights hadn't come along because I was offered a coaching role with them and I was well aware I needed to think about the future."

The past had started so well. He was signed by Nottingham Forest as an apprentice, the club where his father made his name and where he was on the coaching staff, before he made his top-flight debut in 1991.

In his first full season under the incomparable Brian Clough he played alongside the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Nigel Clough and Des Walker and scored 14 goals.

"It all came so quickly and you don't realise there are going to be up and down seasons after that," Gemmill reflected. "Now I am a bit older I didn't realise at the time how good it was."

The intervening years weren't too bad, though. He played more than 300 games at the City Ground before movingto Everton in 1999 for £250,000. At Goodison Park, Gemmill enjoyed a good run in the side in the 2001/02 season before he fell out of favour and found his way to Preston, Leicester and Oxford.

At the same time, Gemmill also amassed 27 caps for Scotland, including the 1-1 draw against the All Whites in Edinburgh in 2003, but again the pragmatic side of Gemmill takes over.

"I was selected for the national side about 80 times and only got on the field 27 times, so it was a bit of an anticlimax," he explained. "I went to the 1998 World Cup but didn't play. It was so frustrating, to have your boots on and yet not be allowed to play. It's bittersweet because you're delighted to be a part of it but you haven't kicked a ball so it's heartbreaking at the same time."

Gemmill is likeable and comes from good breeding but even here, where there's a strong expat community, he won't escape comparisons with his father. He won't win a Champions League-winners' medal but he'll settle for the respect of fans and opponents - something the Knights would settle for, too.