2004’s Go Into Break With A Win

Rangers 5 Dundee United 2

Rangers 2004’s finished the first half of their league season with a comfortable win over Dundee United at The Hummel Training Centre this afternoon. They are now on a short break before coming back to prepare for the Super Cup NI at the end of July. The young Rangers side fell behind but Robbie Ure continued where he left off at The Akademie Cup in Olomouc, Czech Republic last week. He finished top scorer there on eleven goals and put another four past Dundee United today.

Rangers had the first chance on ten minutes, Robbie Ure turned a defender and broke into the right side of the penalty area but his shot from tight on the byline was blocked by the legs of the keeper. Some good play from United saw a through ball send their right side attacker through but he shot over.

With the midpoint of the half approaching the visitors took the lead, the attack took them into the left side of the box and to the byline, the ball was played across goal and converted at close range. Ten minutes before the break Rangers were level, Kelsey Ewan played the ball forward, Robbie Ure who turned a defender on the edge of the box to break into the right side of the area and poke the ball past the keeper.

Rangers took the lead five minutes later with a superb goal, Mackenzie Strachan played a one-two with Zack McKay before sending Sam Lovie down the left, his low cross was slammed past the keeper by Robbie Ure from the edge of the six yard box. The last chance of the half came when Robbie Ure in possession on the right hand angle of the box passed inside to Mackenzie Strachan who forced a save from the keeper.

Half-Time:- Rangers 2 Dundee United 1

From an early free-kick on the edge of the box and left of centre Tyler Pasnik curled a shot over the wall but just wide of the near post. Rangers doubled their lead before the half was ten minutes old, Robbie Ure attacked the left side of the box where he exchanged passes with Tyler Pasnik to break into the box and dink the ball past the keeper.

A couple of minutes later Rangers scored a fourth, it was created on the right where Kristian Webster centred for Mackenzie Strachan who shot into the far corner. Just after the hour mark Sam Lovie broke forward from left back, his centre broke to Robbie Ure but on this occasion he shot over.

Midway through the half Dundee United capitalised on a slack defensive pass to pull a goal back with a shot from the edge of the box. With a quarter hour remaining Robbie Ure scored his fourth with a brilliant solo effort. Attacking on the left he went past two defenders into the penalty area and picked his spot.

The final effort of the game came from Zack McKay breaking into the left side of the penalty area but he was denied when the keeper blocked with his legs.

Full-Time:- Rangers 5 Dundee United 2

Rangers:- Jack McConnell; Kelsey Ewan, Harley Ewan, Logan Dunachie, Sam Lovie; Jack Harkness, Mackenzie Strachan; Jamie Newton (Kristian Webster 55 mins), Tyler Pasnik, Zack McKay; Robbie Ure.

2004’s Beat Dundee

Rangers 4 Dundee 0

With the the 2005’s in Portugal the squad was a bit thin today with only thirteen players, that number included two trialists and 2006 player Kerr Robertson. None the less it was a comfortable win for Rangers although Dundee did call Jack McConnell into action a couple of times after the break.

There were nine minutes on the clock when Mackenzie Strachan attacked the box, he exchanged passes with Darren McInally before firing a shot off the crossbar. Four minutes later Jack Harkness played the ball forward to Leyton Dunlop who flicked the ball over the defence and Robbie Ure was denied by a fine point-blank save.

The game was to end early for Rangers Trialist No.11 who picked up an injury and was replaced by Trialist No.12. Just before the half hour mark Rangers took the lead, Darren McInally passed to Kelsey Ewan who got to the right had byline and his low centre reached Trialist No. 12 at the back post and he fired into the net. A minute later it was two, Leyton Dunlop took on the defence as he attacked the centre of the box, the ball broke kindly for Robbie Ure who shot past the keeper.

When the ball broke to Robbie Ure on the edge of the box nine minutes before the break he fired a superb shot off the keeper’s right hand post. He then laid the ball back from the edge of the box to Darren McInally and his twenty-five yarder had the keeper diving to his left to save. Just be fore the the break Jack Harkness went on a run that took him past two defenders and his shot from the edge of the box was saved by the keeper low to his right.

Half-Time:- Rangers 2 Dundee 0

Dundee had an early chance after the break with a turn and shot from just outside the left side of the box had Jack McConnell diving to tip over.  On fifty-nine minutes Rangers made their second substitution, 2006 player Kerr Robertson replacing Mackenzie Strachan. Just after the hour Dundee moved the ball from left to the right side of the box with Jack McConnell saving the shot diving to the right.

Rangers capitalised on their keeper’s save by increasing their lead, Kerr Robertson crossed from the left and the ball broke to Robbie Ure who sidestepped a defender before shooting into the net. With the final quarter hour approaching Kelsey Ewan switched play from the right to Robbie Ure inside the left side of the box, he sidestepped a defender but the keeper stood up to make the save.

Rangers made it four with nine minutes remaining, Sam Lovie broke forward and passed to Robbie Ure whose through ball sent Leyton Dunlop through to continue into the box and shoot past the keeper. A ball over the top of the Dundee defence sent Robbie Ure through but was again denied by the Dundee keeper. The final chance came when Darren McInally curled a free-kick over the wall but the keeper dived high to his left to make the save.

Full-Time:- Rangers 4 Dundee 0

Rangers:- Jack McConnell; Kelsey Ewan, Harley Ewan, Logan Dunachie, Sam Lovie; Jack Harkness; Darren McInally, Mackenzie Strachan (Kerr Robertson 59 mins); Leyton Dunlop, Robbie Ure, Trialist No. 11 (Trialist No.12 20 mins).

 

Youths Season Review

I have decided to provide a review of what was a successful season at Youth level for the club. The real success will come when a few players make the breakthrough into the first team. For many the next step will be a loan move, where the challenge will be to make sure they become first picks and get the required amount of game time. Only when these things happen will the past season prove to have been a true success.

I have looked at the youth setup as three kind of separate entities with some overlap. Firstly there is reserves/Under 20’s, then Under 17/18’s and finally the age groups below that whose main focus is CAS (Club Academy Scotland) fixtures.

A few Under 20 players made first team appearances, with Glenn Middleton being the one that made the real breakthrough. Glenn started eight games and made a further twenty substitute appearances, scoring five goals. Technically not a graduate from the youth system with his first Rangers contract being a professional one when he joined from Norwich City. A lot of people forget that Glenn is a young player, only turning 19 in January. 

The other four players made one substitute appearance. First was Stephen Kelly who played the last twenty minutes of the League Cup tie against Ayr United at Ibrox. Personally I think Stephen was a bit unfortunate not to make further appearances and next season will be important for him. If he doesn’t make an early breakthrough a loan spell at a good standard of club will be the next step in his progress.

Next to make a cameo appearance was Serge Atakayi, although it was cut short as a rash challenge saw him leave the field injured. Like Glenn Middleton Serge’s first contract at Rangers was a professional one, joining from Finnish club Jakobstads BK. The result of that injury meant a spell on the sidelines, so over the summer he is back in Finland on loan playing for SJK. 

The Scottish Cup tie at Cowdenbeath saw Jordan Houston make a brief cameo appearance. He then went on loan to Airdrie , he started well playing in midfield but a break on International duty for Scotland’s Under 19’s saw he lose his place in the starting lineup. It is likely another loan spell will be the next step for Jordan.

The final league game of the season against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park saw a substitute appearance for Adedapo Awokoya-Mebude, better known as Dapo Mebude. It was a reward for his performances at Reserve and Under 18 level throughout the season. Depending on summer signings, Dapo may get another chance or a loan move could be on the cards. Dapo’s younger brother Dire is part of next season’s Under 16 squad and his older brother Done was briefly at the club a few years ago.

Reserves/Under 20’s

The first test for the Under 20’s came when they took part in a tournament in King’s Lynn, involving the host club and academy sides from Norwich City and Legia Warsaw.

Setup with a friendly win over Newcastle United Under 23’s Rangers first game in the tournament was against an older Legia Warsaw side. Goals from Stephen Kelly and a Jordan Houston penalty saw the game end all square with Rangers edging the penalty shootout 3-2. With hosts King’s Lynn recording a comfortable win over a young Norwich City side, it was the National League North side who Rangers met in the final.

A Ryan Fryatt strike was enough to ensure the home side ran out winners. It was a good test for the young Rangers side against an older and physically stronger opponent. For me the fascinating aspect was how the young Rangers centre-backs, Lewis Mayo, Rhys Breen and Danny Finlayson coped with the challenge offered by Michael Gash. A National League veteran and “English Style” centre forward who was capped at England “C” level and had League experience at Barnet.

What was to end as a successful league campaign began at Palmerston in August where an late Andy Dallas strike secured an narrow if unimpressive win. It ended at the Falkirk Stadium, where again they came from behind with an Andy Dallas double and a Rhys Breen strike which saw them clinch the League title on goal difference.

There was disappointment in the Glasgow Cup Final at Celtic Park in April. Trailing 2-0 a comeback looked unlikely, but two superb Glenn Middleton strikes in the final quarter hour levelled the game and we missed a great chance through Rhys Breen to win it. They were then hit by an injury time stunner to lose 3-2.

The other interesting games for the Under 20’s were against our Europa League group opponents. A double header against Spartak Moscow and a trip to play Rapid Vienna. The Spartak game at Forthbank saw the sides share four goals in an entertaining game. The return saw the Russians edge a 2-1 win. Trailing by two goals at half-time in Vienna,  it remained the case until eighteen minutes remaining.  The Rangers youngsters stormed to an unlikely win with doubles from Josh McPake and Andy Dallas.

In May Rangers travelled to take part in the Hong Kong Sevens, losing the final in extra-time in a seven goal thriller. Wins over Hong Kong FC, HKFC Red Dragons and a draw with Wolves took them into the quarter final. A 3-2 extra time win over Leicester City meant progress to the semi-final where West Ham were beaten 1-0. 

In the final an Andy Dallas double gave Rangers a two goal lead but goals from Owen Bailey and Luke Charman squared the game. Elias Sorensen put Newcastle ahead from the spot but a Josh McPake goal took the tie to extra time. Newcastle edged it when Owen Bailey scored his second of the match.

The Reserve/Under 20 squad was pretty fluid with players moving out on loan, first teamers dropping down on occasions and Under 18 players making the step up. The loan moves were a mixed bag in terms of success. The only real successes in the early season loans were Zak Rudden at Falkirk and Kyle Bradley at Annan Athletic. Both secured regular starting places with Zak scoring goals in a poor Falkirk side, while Kyle was a vital part of Annan’s promotion push.

Kieran Wright at Raith Rovers and Aidan Wilson at Forfar Athletic started well but injury saw them on the sidelines for a while and struggle to regain their place. Jamie Barjonas at Bury and Liam Burt at Alloa Athletic couldn’t really establish themselves as first picks and game time was limited.

January saw Zak Rudden and Kyle Bradley’s loan moves extended till the end of the season and they continued to play regularly. Jamie Barjonas swopped Bury for Raith Rovers and was a regular in the Starks Park side. I touched on Jordan Houston’s move to Airdrie above, losing a starting slot after dropping out the side to play for Scotland’s Under 19’s. Aiden McAdams move to Annan Athletic saw him mainly sitting on the bench, making only three penalties. Andy Dallas made a total of twelve appearances for Morton, but he only completed one ninety minutes, half the twelve were subs appearances and he failed to find the net in any of those games.

We had a few Under 20 players who were recognised at International level. Glenn Middleton made two Scotland Under 21 appearances. While Kieran Wright was an unused sub on a couple of occasions. The club where well represented in Scotland’s Under 19’s. Jordan Houston lead the way with ten appearances and he was joined by Glenn Middleton, Stephen Kelly, Zak Rudden, Lewis Mayo, Dapo Mebude and Matthew Shiels as squad regulars. Cammy Palmer and Danny Finlayson were also regular’s in Northern Ireland’s Under 19’s squads.

 

Under 17/18

A very successful season for the Under 17/18’s , winning the league and cup double, but the most significant success was probably the Under 17’s winning the prestigious Alkass International Cup.

A fine start to the league campaign with seven wins and two draws saw Rangers in good heart when they took on East Kilbride in the Youth Cup at The Hummel Training Centre. An interesting tie saw the Lowland League side take the lead twice before Rangers ran out comfortable 8-2 winners.

A further three league wins took Rangers to the next round of the cup in fine fettle. They had to overcome an early Dapo Mebude red card, rain and gale force winds to edge out Morton 2-0  with a Josh McPake double at Parklea Stadium to progress in the last eight.

Another two league wins took them to the winter break and after some warm weather training and a few friendlies in Turkey. They returned to a Youth Cup tie against Cove Rangers at Ibrox. The youngsters progressed to the semi-final with a comfortable if uninspiring 3-0 win.

Participation in the Alkass International Cup meant no domestic games until a trip to face Aberdeen in the Youth Cup semi-final at Cove’s Balmoral Stadium. A fine performance saw them come from behind with goals from Josh McPake, Ciaran Dickson and Nathan Young-Coombes to reach the final with a 3-1 win.

Back to League duty and five wins, a draw and a disappointing defeat to Celtic at Barrowfield kept the league challenge on track leading into the Youth Cup Final. The Barrowfield result two weeks earlier would have boosted Celtic’s confidence going into the Hampden final, but goals from Ciaran Dickson and Dapo Mebude saw Rangers storm into an early two goal lead. Two quick Celtic goals at the start of the second half squared the tie but a Nathan Young-Coombes header secured a deserved win.

The next league game against Hearts at The Orium was a chance to secure the win that would clinch the league and cup double. The youngsters didn’t disappoint and goals from James Maxwell, Kyle McLelland and Kai Kennedy produced a 3-1 win. The remaining three games allowed Rangers to promote some younger players in preparation for next season.

Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma, Barcelona, Athletico Madrid, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Spurs, Bayern Munich, Schalke, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Porto, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Red Bull Salzburg, Auxerre, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbache, Sao Paulo, Vasco de Gama, Boca Juniors, River Plate, Estudiantes.

Above is a list of some of the clubs who have competed in Qatar’s Alkass International Cup unsuccessfully. Since the tournament started in 2012 only five clubs have won the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain have been successful three times, Aspire International twice (Effectively the national youth team of Qatar, usually a year older than other participants), Real Madrid, Brazilian side Fluminense and Rangers.

All the above highlights the achievement and how much this success had raised the profile of the academy and the club in general. By winning the trophy we have secured participation in this prestigious tournament for the next three years.

Rangers opening game in this Under 17 tournament on 6th February saw them face Moroccan side Raja Casablanca who had already beaten Aspire Academy 1-0. First half goals from Cole McKinnon and Kai Kennedy gave Rangers a comfortable half-time lead. Matty Yates added an injury time third and with Kai Kennedy being awarded man of the match it was a good start to the tournament.

Rangers went into the match with Aspire Academy knowing only a very heavy defeat would prevent them qualifying from the three team group. By just after the hour mark they Ibrox youngsters were trailing 2-0. A late Matty Yates strike gave them hope but the home side immediately restored their two goal lead. The game finished 3-1 for Aspire which meant with all teams on three points Rangers topped the group on goal difference. Perhaps significantly Apire Academy’s goalkeeper, Youesef Balideh was awarded the man of the match.

The quarter final was two days later on February 10th and Rangers blew away the Tunisian side Etoile Sportive du Sahel, who had beaten Bayern Munich in their group clash. Leading to a Nathan Young-Coombes strike at the break the youngsters hit a further six second half goals. Former Chelsea youngster Nathan Young-Coombes completed his hat-trick, Aaron Lyall grabbed one and substitute Chris McKee secured his hat-trick with three goals in an eighteen minute spell. Unsurprisingly Nathan Young-Coombes was awarded man of the match.

A three day break before the semi-final which was against Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol who had beaten Real Madrid in the previous round by 2-0. Once again the opponents couldn’t cope with this Rangers side. Aaron Lyall gave Rangers the lead and a Nathan Young-Coombes strike just before the break extended the lead. Kai Kennedy added a third before Hidetake Maie gave the Japanese side hope. Almost immediately Kai Kennedy’s second goal restored Rangers three goal lead and Alex Lowry netted a fifth goal in injury time. With Kai Kennedy picking up his second Man of the Match award.

On to the final on February 15th where the opponents would be AS Roma. The Italians topped their group with a big win over PSG (5-2) and a draw with Kashima Reysol (1-1). A comfortable win over Spartak Moscow (3-0) took them to a semi final against Aprire Academy. They shared four goals, with AS Roma progressing 4-1 in the penalty shootout.

In the final and Rangers fell behind midway through the first half through a Mory Bamba goal. The youngsters suffered a further blow in first half injury time when Kyle McClelland was red carded. Rangers regrouped after the break and drew level through Ciaran Dickson just before the hour mark. With neither side being able to find a winner it was on to a penalty shootout.

Roma skipper Filippo Tripi converted the first penalty and Rangers were under immediate pressure when Chris McKee saw his saved. Daniel Tueto Fotso and Cole McKinnon then both scored. From Roma’s third penalty Lewis Budinauckas produced a fine save diving to his left to deny Vincenzo Muteba. This allowed Alex Lowry to covert and square the shootout at 2-2. Mateo Cancellieri then hit his spot-kick high over the bar but Ciaran Dickson saw his saved.

The shootout was now effectively sudden death with Edoardo Bove, Matteo Tomassini, Alessio Buttaro, Tomasso Milanese and Edoardo Travaglini converting for Roma. This was matched with successful spot-kicks from Kai Kennedy, Harris O’Connor, Charlie Allen, Leon King and Murray Miller. With the nine outfield players having taken a penalty it was now down to the goalkeepers and when Pietro Boer and Lewis Budinackas both scored someone had to step up again. 

Roma stuck with their captain Filippo Tripi but Lewis Budinauckas produced the goods diving to his right to save. Rangers shuffled the pack and it was Kai Kennedy who stepped up and won the cup for Rangers. A Rangers player again won the man of the match award, on this occasion it was midfielder Murray Miller.

For his performances throughout the tournament Kai Kennedy was nominated as the player of the tournament. It was a great achievement from the young Rangers side, raising the profile of both the Academy and the club as a whole.

At International level Nathan Patterson, Josh McPake and Dapo Mebude were all capped for Scotland Under 18’s. Kai Kennedy led the way with Scotland Under 17’s gaining eight caps. Ciaran Dickson, Harris O’Connor and Murray Miller were also regulars in that group. Northern Ireland Under 17’s were represented by Kyle McLelland and Chris McKee.

Under 16’s And Below

Over the season I managed to take in quite a few CAS (Club Academy Scotland) fixtures from 2003’s down to 2006’s. These fixtures are in the main non competitive, in the sense that they don’t play for points. The exception being the 2003’s (Under 16’s) who play in two cup competitions. These consist of group stages and then a knock out phase.

In the first competition Rangers lost to Aberdeen in the quarter finals in a penalty shootout. The Ibrox youngsters gained revenge with a 2-1 win over Aberdeen in the final of the second tournament in May with the goals coming from Alex Lowry and Matty Yates.j

Various teams performed well in a variety of tournaments at home and abroad. It started early with Rangers 2004’s gaining success in Dundee United’s tournament at St.Andrew’s University in August. Wins over Aberdeen, Partick Thistle and St.Johnstone saw Rangers top their group. This setup a semi final against Dundee which Rangers won comfortably 5-0. So Rangers went into the final against Motherwell without losing a goal, a win was secured with goals from Robbie Ure and Dire Mebude and despite Motherwell pulling a goal back Rangers saw out the game to win 2-1.

At the end of March Rangers Under 15’s (2004’s) travelled to Abu Dhabi to take part in the Zayed International Cup. There were six participating clubs, local sides Al Ain FC, Al Jazira Club and Al Wahda FC along with Rangers, Partizan Belgrade and MSK Zilina from Slovakia. I believe the local sides were a bit older.

Rangers lost their opening game to Al Jazira Club by 3-1, but there was some consolation when Charlie Lindsay was selected as man of the match. The young ‘Gers got back on track with an impressive 6-1 win over MSK Zilina. Details are a bit difficult to come by but it appears Leyton Dunlop, Mackenzie Strachan, Charlie Lindsay and Tyler Pasnik scored. The third game was a comfortable 3-0 win against the host club Al Wahda FC. Charlie Lindsay’s two goals earned him another man of the match award.

Rangers next game was against one of Europe’s top academies in Partisan Belgrade. Rangers took the lead before being pegged back and the game finished 1-1. Rangers again had the man of the match in midfielder Darren McInally. The final game also ended in a 1-1 draw against local side Al Ain. Leyton Dunlop had given Rangers the lead but the local side levelled. This meant Rangers to finish third, behind Al Jazira and Partizan Belgrade.

Rangers took two awards from the tournament with Charlie Lindsay being voted “The Best Player” and Darren McInally “The Best Talent”. Not quite sure what the difference is.

April saw the 2008’s and 2009’s travel abroad to compete in the Algarve Cup (Portugal) and the Mundialito (Spain) respectively.

The 2009’s breezed through their group winning all five games, beating CD Riudoms, Barcalona FA Rabat, CD La Floresta, CFB Pallaresos and USA International FC. Scoring forty goals in the process while conceding only three. In the last sixteen Rangers met CFB Pallaresos again winning 4-1. The quarter-final saw them edge out Olympic Lyon by 3-2, they bowed out in the semi final stage to the eventual winners Gimnastic de Manresa who beat Girona in the final.

The 2008’s went one better by running out winners at the Algarve Cup. They opened their group games with a 4-0 win over Spanish side CD Montequinto. Followed that with an 18-0 !! win over local side Quatro ao Cubo and completed their group games by beating Toronto Lion Kings FC 6-2.

The last sixteen paired them with Club Deportivo 1889 of Heulva in Spain and the Ibrox youngsters triumphed 6-3. They then saw off Real Salt Lake – Arizona by 10-4 to setup a semi final meeting with FC Porto. Another fine win by 6-4 took them through to the final. Their opponents would be to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb who had edged out Olympic Lyon by 2-1 in the other semi-final. Rangers weren’t to be denied though and took the title by a 7-5 winning margin in the final. Young Aiden McCallion picked up the player of the tournament award.

A group of players have represented Scotland at Under 16, with Under 15 player Leon King captaining the side. He has been joined by his Rangers colleagues Cole McKinnon, Robbie Fraser, Adam Devine, Alex Lowry, Aaron Lyall and Jay Hogarth. In addition Northern Irish boys Lewis McKinnon and Ross McAusland who will be joining Rangers for next season were capped for Northern Ireland’s Under 16’s.

So that is review of the past season at youth level from Under 20’s down to the CAS age groups. It was a very positive and promising season as we recover from the years under the previous Head of Youth. 

All this progress will mean nothing if a couple of years down the line we haven’t produced a few players for the first team squad. I believe the talent and the structure is now there so its now up to the players to work hard and grab the opportunity.

 

 

 

2004’s Easy To A Win At Ralston

St.Mirren 0 Rangers 4

Pre-season hasn’t come yet for the age groups at 2004 and below, so it was off to Ralston Training Ground for a lunchtime kick-off where Rangers 2004’s took on their St.Mirren counterparts.

Rangers took the lead in the opening minute, Robbie Ure passed to Kelsey Ewan who broke into the right side of the penalty area before shooting across the keeper and into the far corner. A couple of minutes later St.Mirren attacked on the left and when the ball was passed inside Jack McConnell came from his goal to block the shot with his legs.

Just before the quarter hour mark Leyton Dunlop struck a free-kick just outside the box and right of centre which forced the Saints keeper into a fine save low to his right. Immediately the keeper’s clearance was flicked on to send the home striker clear but Jack McConnell raced from his box to clear.

Midway through the half Rangers doubled their lead, Kelsey Ewan broke forward on the right and passed to Robbie Ure, he laid the ball back to Tyler Pasnik whose twenty-five yarder gave the keeper no chance as it flew into his top right hand corner. A few minutes later the home striker was through on goal again, it looked like he executed his lob perfectly but Jack McConnell just got enough of a touch on the ball to divert the ball on to the bar.

Rangers extended their lead eight minutes before the break, Robbie Ure cutting in from the left to the angle of the box where he fired into the keeper’s top right corner.

Half-Time:- St.Mirren 0 Rangers 3

Goalmouth action in the second half was limited but Rangers were never in any danger of losing their three goal lead. The half was around twenty minutes old before Rangers scored a fourth. Leyton Dunlop latching on to  poor clearance from the keeper and knocking the ball into the empty net from just outside the box.

Full-Time:- St.Mirren 0 Rangers 4

Rangers:- Jack McConnell; Kelsey Ewan, Harley Ewan, Logan Dunnachie (Kristian Webster 60 mins), Sam Lovie; Jack Harkness; Darren McInally (Euan Ross 60 mins), Mackenzie Strachan (Jamie Newton 60 mins); Leyton Dunlop, Robbie Ure, Tyler Pasnik (Zak McKay 60 mins).

Footnote:- On Saturday I took the opportunity to take in the 2007’s game against St. Mirren at the Hummel Training Centre. At this age they are still playing 9-a-side, and Rangers changed all nine at the halfway stage with Rangers winning 9-2.

The goals came from Frankie Aitchison, Jaydon Fitzpatrick (2), Arran Kerr, Harry Weir, Josh Gentles (2), Chris Eadie (2).

Rangers Squad:- Alfie Halliwell (Gk), Greig Thackery (Gk), Frankie Aitchieson, Duncan Barlow, Leo Fisher, Grant Marchant, Jaydon Fitzpatrick, Arran Kerr, Jace McCulloch, Cammy Scott, Harry Weir, Jack Wylie, Kenzie McLelland, Lyall Wark, Josh Gentles, Chris Eadie, Grant Leitch, Connor Campbell