LIAM ROSS praised the display from the Rangers Under-18’s in their emphatic Scottish Youth Cup win over Darvel this evening.
Professional in their approach, the young Gers broke the deadlock after 25 minutes from the penalty spot before the goals flowed as they booked their place in the fourth round of the competition with the victory at the Training Centre.
Speaking to the official Rangers website to reflect on the win, he commented: “I am really happy with the performance and how the boys went about the game.
“I think to be fair to Darvel they came with a game plan, really organised and were difficult to break down.
“We knew it was going to be tough to begin with and we had to be really patient but I think the boys ultimately found the spaces and their qualities then created the goals from there.
“Overall, really pleased with the result but most importantly as well I think the performance throughout the full duration of the game.
“Nothing changed and our preparation is the exact same for any game, regardless of the opposition.
“When you play against teams that you are expected to win, I think sometimes they can be the most difficult games especially if the boys didn't turn up with the right mindset to go into this game and ultimately get the job done.
“We stressed the importance of sticking to task, doing the right things, being really consistent with our actions and eventually when they got one goal then the spaces might open to go and get a few more and that's what they done.”
The assistant coach highlighted the attitude of the group throughout the season so far, on a night there were a number of standout strikes with Luca Rankin’s effort the pick of the bunch.
He continued: “There is quality in the squad, there is no doubt about it.
“I think if you get to Rangers Under-18's or 19's then you have obviously got talent, but what really excites me about these boys that we had in the squad tonight is there competitiveness and also their enthusiasm to go and play.
“You have seen it tonight with the goals but we see that in training every single day.
“For me that is the most pleasing thing is they excite me in terms of footballers but it is the bit that other side of what they have got in terms of the personal stuff. For me that is the bit that separates them from the rest.”
Ross says the end goal for the squad is of course winning the competition they last got their hands on in May 2024, but says they will respect whatever opponent they face and be prepared for what lies ahead.
He added: “Wanting to win the cup? For sure and that is the demands when you play for a club like this.
“For us it is genuinely just about taking it one game at a time in the competition, respecting every single opposition that we face because they will all give different challenges.
“You saw tonight Darvel provided some challenges at the start of the game in the first 20 minutes.
“It is just about ticking off each opposition that we play against.
“We have obviously got a big game on Monday now in the league so it is about recovering properly and making sure that we prepare as best as possible going into Monday's game because that will be a tough one.
“It is part of the boy's development. Obviously individually it is about them trying to get as close to the first-team as possible.
“Every day working to get that one per cent closer and basically take someone's jersey off them.
“Part of their development is winning and for me it is really exciting to be involved in league games, Youth Cup and we have got the CAS League Cup that has been introduced now.
“There is loads to look forward to this year and loads to achieve and I am excited in terms of where this group can go with that.”
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