KEVIN THOMSON says young players will get opportunities in the B-Team if they continue to show that they can meet the demands in training every day.
Rangers ended this afternoon’s friendly against Albion Rovers first-team with six 17-year-olds and two 16-year-olds on the pitch.
After a slow start in the first-half, Thomson was pleased with the impact of the younger players.
Speaking to RangersTV he said: “It was a painful watch to be honest in the first half, I was quite disappointed with them and I thought we started sloppy.
“They are Rangers players they have to accept that the responsibility comes for playing with this club so really disappointed with them in the first half but fair play to them.
“We asked for a wee bit more from them at half-time, asked them to be braver and I think we got a bit more from them in the second half.
“Alex Lowry came on and within 30 seconds he excited me, he started to risk the ball, be brave with it, play forward and we looked a bit more like a Rangers team at times.
“It is a new experience for quite a lot of them, we had quite a lot of younger players on the pitch in the second half but if you are a Rangers player you are old enough, you are good enough to play so I said that to the group.
“Brian and I are big on that you train the way we would expect you to train and the way this club demands off you and then you will get opportunities and it up to the young boys to come and take them.
“I thought on Charlie Lindsay was terrific when he came on, he was a real threat and had real energy - Tony Weston the same and I thought Matthew Henderson was terrific.
“We have said to them train well, play well for the 18s and you'll get opportunities for the B squad.
“The opposite from that is the older ones that think they are in the team have got the young ones breathing down their neck and I think that is the environment we want to create.”
Rangers went behind early in the second-half but a late double from Chris McKee gave them a 2-1 victory.
Thomson believes it’s an invaluable experience for the players to take on a first-team side.
He continued: “It is a different game, it is a new experience for quite a lot of our boys but the harsh reality is that's what first-team football looks like.
“That's what playing for three points on a Saturday looks like so I have been a big advocate since I came to the club that that is how we want it to look.
“If we get turned over by some of these teams then we will take that on the chin that's the responsibility we'll take as a club so we want that challenge for the young boys.
“It’s a working progress, we want to see them develop and look a bit more like what the first team look like which is a challenge.
“When you are up against men's teams and there’s a physical challenge it becomes a bit more difficult because we don't dominate the ball as we maybe would in academy.
“We have to defend and chase more and do a bit more out of possession so I'm loving the challenge the boys are getting and it's up to us to continue to give them that to hopefully help them develop.”