LILY BOYCE was grateful to experience Hampden for the first time in Rangers’ Scottish Cup semi-final win yesterday.
The youngster appeared off the bench in the second half, replacing Kathy Hill at the heart of the defence to help Leanne Crichton’s side book their place in the showpiece final with a 2-0 win over Montrose at the National Stadium.
Speaking to RangersTV after the game and reflecting on the personal moment, she commented: “It was an unbelievable experience, coming on at Hampden.
“It is a great opportunity, and not many young girls get to do it.
“I am excited that I played there and the trust that Leanne has in me, so I am absolutely delighted.
“Watching Rangers win trophies and get into finals here in the past, it is always something I have wanted to be a part of. I am buzzing that has happened.”
On a day the Gers weren’t at their fluent best, a second-half Katie Wilkinson double ultimately made the difference for the team, with the youngster saying the end result was the most important thing.
She continued: “I thought it wasn't our best performance.
“I think there was definitely a lot we can go back and reflect on and work on, but the main thing was just getting the 2-0 win, getting over the line and making sure that we were in a cup final at the end of the season, so everyone is excited for that coming up too.
“Half-time message? It was more just about ball speed, different movements.
“We know that we can do it in training, we do it every single game, so it was just about making sure that we put that right in the second half.
“I think that all the players reacted very well, and we did that in the second half.
“You are not always going to play your best each week, but the main thing is making sure that we are getting the win and we also got a clean sheet too, which is really good for our confidence building into the rest of the season.”
Coming on and featuring alongside Leah Eddie in defence, the 17-year-old spoke of the opportunities she has had at the club this season, having been recalled from a loan spell with Motherwell back in January, whilst looking ahead to an exciting end to the campaign.
She added: “It was amazing, I learned so much from Leah and all the centre-backs in training every day.
“Just getting to play alongside her and her giving me advice is something that is really special.
“It has been unbelievable, coming up from the academy, I have been here since I was nine years old, so getting to break into the first-team it is amazing, and it just helps me learn so much and grow as a player.
“There is so much to play for, we have to be at our best every single week and make sure that we get as many points as we possibly can and finish the season strong.”
RANGERS STORE: Shop all the latest offers at the Rangers Store in-store or online
VIP HOSPITALITY: Combining all the passion, excitement and joy of football with an unrivalled choice of suites and packages, a matchday at Ibrox can be exactly what you want it to be
SOCCER ACADEMY: Kicking off from 18 months old, with classes across Scotland and Northern Ireland, available term-time and holidays