HER DAD’s career spanned 20 years as a professional footballer – playing for top Scottish and English teams.
He was also an unsung hero for a Premier League side at the peak of his powers.
Niamh is sick of hearing guys brag in the pub about being ‘part-time footballers’[/caption]
Niamh’s dad is a footballing legend[/caption]
Niamh has grown up watching her dad play for big teams including Everton and Hearts[/caption]
Indeed, Gary Naysmith was considered Scotland’s ‘Mr Reliable’ at left-back for much of the 2000s.
Now, his daughter Niamh has joked about guys in boozers who like to boast about playing football – completely unaware of who her famous dad is.
In a TikTok video, she can be seen sipping on a pint of Guinness as she says: “Me listening to a man at the bar brag about being a part-time footballer.”
Seconds later, the clip jumps to a picture of Niamh as a little girl in her dad’s arms on a football pitch.
The snap is accompanied by the caption: “Meanwhile me: Watching my dad play prem [league] since birth.”
Niamh also poked fun at anybody who asks her if she knows the offside rule, as she joked about her dad playing for Scotland.
During his time at the top, Naysmith starred for Hearts and won the Scottish Cup in 1998 before moving to Everton in the Premier League for whom he would go on to make over 150 appearances for across all competitions.
And social media users are in full agreement about his star power, with Niamh’s video racking up more than one million views.
“Your da’s a f***ing ledge”, gushed one person.
A second wrote: “Super Gary, mr reliable.”
A third chimed in: “Aberdeen legend.”
“One of the best full backs we’ve had At Everton”, added a fourth.
A fifth said: “Absolute legend.”
Meanwhile, a sixth simply commented: “Iconic.”
Naysmith was once on the receiving end of a horror tackle from Merseyside rival Steven Gerrard that was so bad the Liverpool skipper publicly apologised to him.
The Scot would recover from that knock but an ankle injury in 2005 led to him losing his place in the side and he joined Sheffield United for £1m in 2007.
Gary Naysmith was nicknamed ‘Mr Reliable’ for Scotland[/caption]
Gary Naysmith is now manager at Stenhousemuir FC[/caption]
Niamh has followed in her dad’s footsteps and also plays football[/caption]
After two years in the Championship he dropped down to League One with Huddersfield and helped them achieve promotion via the play-offs, returning to Scotland in 2012 for a short stint at Aberdeen before rounding out his career with East Fife in a player-manager role.
On top of his three-year spell with the Fifers, Naysmith has been boss at Queen of the South, Edinburgh City and nowadays is in charge of Stenhousemuir.
And Niamh seems to be following in her famous dad’s footsteps as she plays for Bonnyrig Rose FC.
She scored five goals in her last match for the Scottish Women’s League One side.
