LAST weekend, Andrew Robertson was running himself into the hearts of thousands of Liverpool fans.

The Scottish left-back, named man of the match in the 4-3 thriller against Manchester City, was superb in keeping Raheem Sterling in his pocket at Anfield.

His one-man Gegenpress drew roars from supporters as he sprinted at full pelt to close down four City players.

Robertson has been a firm fan favourite wherever he's been, but it hasn't been an easy road to the top for the Glasgow-born defender.

He said last year: "Sometimes you do think, 'Bloody hell – I’ve come a long way. What a journey'.

"When you get the time, you reflect that you’ve actually done quite well for yourself. Now I’ve got to look forward to what’s in store for the next few years."

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His early knocks in football have seen him stay grounded.

Robertson, now a Scotland regular, was cut by boyhood club Celtic at 15 for being too small.

It was only five years ago he was earning £18 weekly in travel expenses from his next club Queen's Park – getting extra money by selling pop concert tickets at Hampden Park.

After making it at Dundee United, then Hull City, his first major purchase as a Premier League player saw Robertson buy his parents and brother a new house in Glasgow.

And for his 21st birthday, he asked guests to donate money to a food bank rather than buy him a gift.

Now he's reaping the rewards, starting nine of the last 11 games for Jurgen Klopp's men – a run that has seen the Reds go unbeaten.

He's been a revelation.

A teenaged Robertson would not believe his current stature in football, although he reckons those early set backs have set him up well in the long run.

He said being released by Celtic was "a difficult period of my life.

"As a Celtic fan growing up, going to every game and having a season ticket, it was tough.

"From what I’ve been told, my height was a big factor.

"That was one man's opinion, but it actually helped me in the long run.

"It maybe took me a bit longer but, looking back, it was probably the best thing that happened to me."

It was Queen's Park – then in the Scottish fourth tier – who offered him a career lifeline, although he was initially reluctant to join the amateur side.

Robertson, now 5ft 10in but still slight of frame, recalled: "I was on holiday with my family in Nice when they called.

"Over the phone, at that age, Queen's Park doesn’t really appeal to you because you’ve just played for a massive club who are worldwide known.

"But I took it with an open mind and as soon as I went to training I wanted to sign."

After finishing his A-Levels, Robertson gambled by putting off university in order to focus on football – even though Queen's Park didn't pay him.

"I spoke to mum and dad and said I would try my best and if it didn’t work out I would do something else with my life," he added.

"For he first three or four months I didn’t have a job and my parents had to fund me.

"You didn’t get wages at Queen's Park, you just got travel expenses – £6 for each journey, so £18 a week.

"It was just enough to put in the petrol for the car me and my brother shared."

That car was a Renault Clio – but they previously shared a Ford Focus before Robertson wrote it off.

"That’s a sore point for my brother because he loved that car!

"It was actually quite a bad crash, but luckily nobody really got hurt."

With training one night a week, an 18-year-old Robertson found himself "sitting all day in the house".

So it was then that he took up a full-time post in the offices at Hampden – Scotland's national stadium where Queen's Park play their home games.

He said: "I got a job on the corporate side of things.

"I was on the phones taking orders for the private boxes for the big events – concerts like Robbie Williams, as well as cup finals and Scotland games.

"I sorted out all their tickets and people came and collected them.

"It was good for me because it gave me a wage – even it was only like £5 or £6 an hour.

"But it definitely wasn’t something I wanted to do for the long term."

He didn't have to, finally becoming a full-time footballer when Dundee United signed him in the summer of 2013 – playing at Hampden in the Scottish Cup final at the end of that season.

In April 2014 he was named the Scottish young player of the year and in the Scottish team of the year.

He earned a move to Hull City, newly promoted to the Premier League, eventually spending three seasons on Humberside.

Robertson proved himself a fan favourite with the Tigers for his consistent performances for the yo-yo club.

Six months into his spell at Hull, the defender made his first major purchase – splashing out on a new house for his parents and brother in Glasgow.

Or his 21st birthday, when he asked party guests to donate £5 or £10 to a food bank rather than give him presents.

Robertson said: "It felt really good buying a house for my family because of how much sacrifice all three of them made for me.

"I wanted to pay them back by hopefully giving them a better life.

"With my 21st, my view was that I didn’t really need anything – it would be pointless just getting bottles of alcohol.

"And the food bank were very appreciative of the donations.

"Seeing their faces when I handed them the cheque was better for me than getting presents."

Bought for £10million from Hull City in the summer, Robertson, who now has 20 Scotland caps, initially struggled to break into the Liverpool first-team.

Jurgen Klopp persisted with Alberto Moreno and the Spaniard started off in decent form.

Robertson played just three matches in Liverpool's first 22 games – he had played more games for Scotland than the Reds at the start of December.

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In November, Robertson admitted he had found the start of his Liverpool career "frustrating" and "hated" not playing.

There was even gossip that Robertson may be sold in January.

But Klopp eventually lost patience with Moreno, the Spaniard still dogged by lapses in concentration at crucial times.

Robertson got his chance at the start of December and has not looked back.

At Anfield on Sunday, Robertson heard Liverpool fans singing his name at the top of their voices.

"It was unbelievable… it gives you goosebumps."

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