Che Adams: Scotland striker's nine-year rise from English seventh tier to Premier League

In the space of nine years, Scotland striker Che Adams' (centre) has risen from England's seventh tier to Premier League and international football

It wasn't the jaw-dropping solo efforts from his own half that fuelled former Ilkeston Town manager Kevin Wilson's belief that Che Adams would rise from the seventh tier of English football to the Premier League.

Nor was it the man-of-the-match performances as a 16-year-old in friendly games against Sheffield United, Leicester City and Birmingham City.

It was, in fact, the commitment to travel by bus 60 miles up and down the M1 on a three-hour round trip for a wage of just £40 per week.

After a heart-rending release from Coventry City three years prior, giving the game up was perhaps the easier option for the current Southampton and Scotland striker - but Adams "was willing to put everything in" to reach the top.

"It's a message to anyone," former Chelsea and Northern Ireland striker Wilson tells BBC Scotland. "If you work hard enough and have the ability, someone will see it. You've got to give him massive credit for the way he stuck at it.

"When I watch him on Match of the Day, or see him play for Scotland, I always send a little text. He hasn't disappointed me one bit."

Nine years on, BBC Scotland charts Adams' ascent through England's football pyramid to the summit, via international recognition and European Championship participation.

'I always believed he'd go to the top'

Wilson was watching a trial match at Leicester's King Power Stadium when he first became aware of Adams, who was seeking an academy scholarship after spending a year at local club Oadby Town.

Seventh-tier Ilkeston, under the guidance of Wilson, had recently launched their academy and the youngster was viewed as the perfect fit. The only issue was he was simply too good.

Wilson had no choice but to rapidly integrate the teenager into the first-team set-up while the club arranged nearby accommodation.

"Very quickly we realised, wow... what a player," he recalls. "We knew we had to make it work. At that level, there weren't many who could get you off your seat. Even at that age, Che was capable of it.

"He was a maverick. Like you see now, he was strong and powerful, but he would just breeze past people. He needed a few kicks up the backside, but he always wanted to get better.

"I truly believed he would eventually play in the Premier League. I'm so pleased he's proven me right."

42 agents, 60-odd scouts and a late Redknapp

Adams' case is rare but not unique, with fellow Premier League striker Jamie Vardy sharing a similar path.

The Leicester forward's name was one Wilson would hear constantly from agents and scouts as the England international's stock rose at Halifax Town prior to his move to Fleetwood Town in 2011.

But now Ilkeston's own prodigy was causing quite the stir - and clubs were determined to not miss out on the next non-league gem.

"We had 42 agents and 60-odd scouts watching Che one Monday night," Wilson says. "Huddersfield and Peterborough sat down with us, both were really interested.

"But after Che spoke to Nigel Clough at Sheffield United on the Wednesday afternoon, he was up there on the Thursday to sign. Everything has fallen into place since."

Among those keeping a watchful eye was Harry Redknapp, then manager of Queens Park Rangers. But by the time he was ready to make his move, the ink on Adams' signature was already drying at Bramall Lane.

Two months later, Redknapp realised what he had missed out on when he watched his former side, Tottenham, get a scare from the Blades in the second leg of the 2015 League Cup semi-final.

Adams netted his first goals for the Yorkshire club, bagging a double off the bench in a stunning 15-minute cameo against Mauricio Pochettino's men, who edged through 3-2 on aggregate.

"I always liked Che as a player," Redknapp tells BBC Scotland. "I remember watching him in that semi-final and he absolutely ran that Spurs defence ragged."

'Without Che, we were down'

After two years at Bramall Lane, Adams made a £2m move in summer 2016 to Birmingham City, where Redknapp got the chance to work with the forward at the end of his first season.

With the team fighting relegation, Redknapp was drafted in to secure Championship survival - and did so after earning two wins in Birmingham's final three matches.

"Che got sent off in my second game against Huddersfield," Redknapp says. "We still won 2-0 then got his red card overturned after an appeal.

"He came back for the final game away to Bristol City and scored the winner that kept us up. Without that goal, we were down. He was such a good all-round player but also a great kid off the pitch."

Redknapp's stay lasted just five months, but even with disarray in the boardroom and the team struggling on the pitch, Adams was flourishing.

Thirty-one goals over the next two seasons had top-flight clubs on high alert and in swooped Southampton with a reported £15m bid to offer a gateway to the Premier League.

"He was still a young player," former Birmingham and Rangers forward Greg Stewart tells BBC Scotland. "But you could just see with his attributes that he was always going to go to the Premier League for a lot of money."

Lockdown benefit and World Cup dream

Che Adams has contributed 25 goals over the past two seasons - netting 17 times while providing eight assists - for Southampton

Top-flight transition didn't go as hoped for Adams, however. After 27 games, the striker was yet to open his account.

But the Premier League's shutdown because of Covid-19 was a blessing in disguise. He recharged and refocused during the three-month break.

"It helped me a lot, coming away from football for a bit," Adams told Southampton's website. "It was just realising what I had to do right and what I was doing wrong.

"I was working on my fitness and other aspects of my game - conditioning to run harder, work harder and play smarter. I can't say it was a nice time, but for me it was probably the right thing."

Following the league's restart in June 2020, Adams netted four times in eight outings, including an incredible long-range lob over Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.

That form prompted Scotland boss Steve Clarke to tempt Adams, who turned down an approach from the Scottish FA two years prior, to join the national team.

With Euro 2020 on the horizon, Adams - who qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother - was keen to quash the notion that the upcoming finals were the only factor in his decision to commit allegiance.

The 25-year-old has since done his talking on the pitch, netting four goals and laying on two assists in just 16 caps.

But following World Cup play-off heartbreak on Wednesday, the Leicester-born striker will hope to get Scotland back on track as they kick off their Nations League campaign with a triple-header this month - a challenge he's taking all in his stride.

"You don't hear many stories like mine," he told former England striker Peter Crouch for BBC's Year-Late Euros. "Loads of people ask me about it - but I'm just living it day by day."

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