These boots are made for talking: Scotland’s women prepare to take on the world in France

They marched 500 miles.

Then they marched 500 more. Now the Tartan Army are the men, women and children who marched 1,000 miles to see the Scotland women’s team ignite their World Cup dream.

The stunning Riviera city of Nice is the scene for today’s big kick-off.

And with the Auld Enemy of England in town too as our girls’ opponents, the stakes could scarcely be higher. Scotland boss Shelley Kerr was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours yesterday.

But her celebrations have been put on hold while she leads her charges in their preparation for what promises to be the biggest match of their careers so far.

Almost 20,000 tickets have been sold for today’s game at the Allianz Riviera, the 36,000-capacity home of OGC Nice, a club who finished seventh in Ligue 1 in the season just finished.

After a slow start to the week, Scotland fans began arriving in the picture-postcard town on Friday, with more following yesterday.

By lunchtime, hundreds of kilted Tartan Army foot-soldiers could be spotted roaming around Place Massena, Nice’s central square.

Many are long-serving veterans of countless men’s qualifying campaigns and, very occasionally, tournaments. Many more, however, have travelled for the first time to cheer on our women.

Amongst their ranks, entire families milled around – mothers, fathers, daughters and sons, decked out in Scotland colours.

Groups of girls and women also took up position, battalions from several women’s football teams, including Stenhousemuir Ladies, and Abertay University in Dundee’s women’s side.

One of the early arrivals on Friday was 79-year-old Arthur Macdonald from Aberdeen, a Tartan Army veteran of considerable standing. Decked out in a kilt and T-shirt Arthur praised a Scotland team that, with the likes of midfielder Chloe Arthur and striker Claire Emslie, is not short on talent and skill.

“I’ve been following Scotland since I was 12, and I’ve been to countries I would never have put my foot in if it wasn’t for football,” he said. “I’ve been going to Scotland’s women’s games for a long time too. I think it’s fantastic that they’re here at the World Cup.

“I get annoyed at some people on Facebook who criticise women’s football.

“See the last few games, some of the football Scotland have played has been absolutely brilliant. That young Erin Cuthbert – if somebody had said to me she was from Stirling, I’d have said: ‘That’s Billy Bremner’s daughter!’”

The main seafront drag in Nice is known as the Promenade des Anglais, or walkway of the English. There were certainly plenty of England fans strolling its length yesterday, on their way to the city’s fan zone, where tournament organisers FIFA have put on food, drink and entertainment for World Cup visitors.

But, as ever, Scots fans were far more visible in their tartan regalia. Nice is welcoming the world to its stunning shoreline and buzzing Old Town. Moules-frites has replaced fish and chips and the beer is flowing. The Scotland fans in the city, who are dreaming of the perfect start to the World Cup, can testify to that.

Meanwhile, in what may be seen as a bad omen, Scotland’s seniors team finished third in the Seniors World Cup in Thailand after losing to England in the tournament semi-final.

A penalty awarded in stoppage time gave England a 2-1 victory over Scotland on Friday.

But the Scotland side “bounced back” to defeat Thailand 3-2 in the third place playoff match.