APRIL marked a celebratory month in the Rangers Academy as the Glasgow Cup was retained and several young players made a first-team impact.
In the latest instalment of our Academy Monthly series, we reflect on the last month throughout the age groups at the Light Blues.
The involvement of Academy graduate Bailey Rice in Barry Ferguson’s first-team squad continued as the teenage midfielder started from the off in the UEFA Europa League first leg clash against Athletic Club at Ibrox before being given the nod in the league clash against St. Mirren in Paisley.
In the meantime, 18-year-old Findlay Curtis was rewarded with his first senior start for the club in the draw at Pittodrie after a late substitute appearance earlier in the month at home to Hibernian, making a strong impression in the side’s comeback in the north-east and teeing up Hamza Igamane’s second-half strike.
Speaking to the official Rangers website last month, Curtis said of his first senior start: “I found out at training on Saturday that I would be starting.
“On Saturday night my mum and dad kept on phoning me just trying to calm me down. I was buzzing but I loved every single minute of it.
"My dad and my brother got up to the game, and my mum was crying in the house watching it, she is like that!”
Ferguson hasn’t been afraid to look to youth in his tenure in the dugout as the Academy trio of Zander Hutton, Aiden McCallion and Rydnn McGuire were on the substitutes bench across both legs of the narrow defeat to Athletic Club in the UEFA Europa League.
Elsewhere, a young Rangers side lifted the Glasgow Cup for the second successive campaign as Stevie Smith’s side edged an Old Firm final in a dramatic penalty shootout triumph.
Although supplemented by the involvement of Neraysho Kasanwirjo as he stepped up his return from injury, the young Gers were comprised predominantly of their Under-18s side.
Aiden McCallion netted the decisive spot-kick for the Light Blues, while fellow 2008-born players McGuire and Alexander Smith also played an influential role.
“There is a lot of young players in there and they need to know what winning feels like,” a delighted Smith beamed after the victory.
“There will come a point where they lose as well, but it is really important at this football club that you know what winning feels like and they experienced that tonight.”
Indeed, the young Gers stamped their ticket to the final with a last four triumph over Partick Thistle earlier in the month, courtesy of goals from Callum Burnside and Chris Eadie.
The Academy’s crop of loan players also continued to make an impression at their various clubs, with Josh Gentles (Alloa Athletic), Blaine McClure (Kelty Hearts) and both Leyton Grant and Jack Harkness (Stirling Albion) only narrowly missing out on a play-off spot.
Robbie Fraser, Cole McKinnon and Lewis Budinauckas, meanwhile, will compete in the Scottish Premiership play-offs with Livingston, Ayr United and Partick Thistle respectively after a thrilling conclusion to the Scottish Championship season.
The club also hosted their annual Player Awards ceremony last month as 16-year-old Aiden McCallion picked up the Academy Player of the Year award.
In addition, Chris Eadie scooped the Academy Goal of the Season accolade after rounding off a sumptuous team move in the Under-18s’ league triumph over Celtic in November.
The Academy was also proudly represented in the Scotland Under-15s squad who were victorious over Spain in a recent international fixture as Coben Fergusson, Lewis McGahey, Ashton Scally, Kyle Glasgow and Luca Rankin all featured in the starting lineup.
The strong tournament programme also continued as the Easter weekend saw the Under-15s compete in the East Mallorca Cup and the Under-10s take part in the Brussels Cup in Belgium.
An Under-14s and 15s group also pitted their wits in the Black and White Cup hosted by Newcastle United.
In the meantime, the Under-13s reached the CAS Cup final, with the final to be played later this month against Aberdeen at Pittodrie, while the side also squared off against Manchester United in a high-level fixture.