The Light Blues ran with a mix of youth and experience in this afternoon’s narrow pre-season friendly defeat to Leeds United, which was noticeable for the inclusion of Sam Lammers in attack.
The side also featured Leon King and Robbie Fraser, both of whom have garnered significant first-team minutes, while Bailey Rice featured for the first time since returning from a minor injury.
Speaking to RangersTV after the game, Thomson says the blend of experience within the squad can only aid the development of the young players in the Academy: “We had a great mix today, and B Team football is good for bringing the younger players on alongside more experienced ones.
“Credit to the older players coming into the side, such as Sam Lammers and Robbie [Fraser] who is a bit older.
“There’s a real good feel about the group when they come together. We don’t have the privilege of regularly training together, so we have a mix when it comes to a matchday.
“But it manages to gel together and I thought they showed that today.
“Even small stuff like when they sit down for a pre-match meal and boys are around them asking what they do.
“It’s also about how they get ready for the game and the experience that they pass on. It’s sometimes not even what they say, but rather their demeanour and the way they carry themselves.
“It’s part of their development at Rangers, that they’re going to come across an experienced player or coach, and it hopefully helps mould them to the point where they themselves become a first-team player.”
On this afternoon’s pre-season clash against Leeds United, Thomson commented: “There were some good individual performances.
“I thought they played well collectively and we controlled large spells of the game, but we didn’t manage to take the chances that we created in the second half.
“The last part is always how you’re judged as a football player. But credit to the team because I thought some of the football and patience they showed was good, and it just comes down to being clinical in both penalty boxes.”