Leicester U20 0-6 Rangers U20

https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/academy-leicester-0-6-gers/

A QUITE stunning Rangers performance saw them demolish Leicester City this afternoon in the penultimate match of their massively successful Games Programme.

Having suffered a painful 6-1 reverse to the Foxes at Ibrox back in September, Billy Kirkwood’s Development Squad travelled to the Midlands hoping to show how much they have progressed over the course of the season.

And they certainly did that, with the Light Blues turning in a wonderful showing against one of England’s best Academy sides.

It took Gers just 12 minutes to open the scoring, with Stephen Kelly on-target with a fine finish following some good set-up work from Glenn Middleton.

Middleton then turned goalscorer himself, capitalising on an error from the Leicester goalkeeper to hand his side a 2-0 advantage at the interval.

Zak Rudden grabbed a quick-fire double after the break, the second of which from the penalty spot, before Liam Burt got in on the act and then Rudden completed his hat-trick to end the rout with two minutes left to play.

Overjoyed coach Billy Kirkwood spoke to rangers.co.uk shortly after the final whistle, and after last week declaring their 2-1 defeat of FC Copenhagen as their best of the season, he believes this afternoon’s result trumps that.

He explained: “We got thumped 6-1 at Ibrox, so for the lads to reacts in such a way and come back after the period of time, is testament to the hard work they have done on a daily basis.

“To win 6-0, they were absolutely outstanding and by far, that is the best they have been all season.

“The first 10 or 15 minutes was a real, competitive game, but once they managed to get the first goal – a Stevie Kelly finish from a Glenn Middleton cut-back – it settled the nerves a little bit and we went on to put on a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

“We have always struggled against English teams, but today, we put all the good work they have been doing on the training pitch into practice.

“I have got to say too, Jordan Rossiter completed 90 minutes, is hopefully injury-free and he put in a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

Kirkwood pointed out the Leicester side was in no-way weakened from the one which won so comfortably at Ibrox earlier in the season – indeed believing the side Gers faced today was even STRONGER than the last time around.

He continued: “They strengthened their team from the under-19s that we played at Ibrox in the first half by introducing some of their under-23 team, and then in the second half, we played the under-19 team that beat us at Ibrox.

“So for our lads to go and put on that type of show and performance was absolutely outstanding. Every single player that was involved and every staff member is absolutely delighted with the outcome today.”

The Development Squad’s season rounds off next week as they host Everton at Auchenhowie, with Kirkwood hoping his side can finish with a flourish.

He added: “The last two games of this programme are testing for us. Like I said, we lost 6-1 to Leicester earlier and Everton beat us 3-0 down there as well.

“Hopefully the lads can take the confidence from this game today, take it into the Everton game and finish the season on a high.”
 
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Proud of them. Well done the young bears.

Great to see Rossiter get 90.
 
The boy Middleton is looking a right talent. If we had secured second already it would have been great to get him turning out for the 1st team before the end of the season. Sadly it won't happen due to our current position.
 
Glad to see Rossiter playing 90 minutes. Does anybody know if he has been playing well in these games?

Middleton must have ran riot today. He looks a good prospect.
 
Rudiger said:
https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/academy-leicester-0-6-gers/

A QUITE stunning Rangers performance saw them demolish Leicester City this afternoon in the penultimate match of their massively successful Games Programme.

Having suffered a painful 6-1 reverse to the Foxes at Ibrox back in September, Billy Kirkwood’s Development Squad travelled to the Midlands hoping to show how much they have progressed over the course of the season.

And they certainly did that, with the Light Blues turning in a wonderful showing against one of England’s best Academy sides.

It took Gers just 12 minutes to open the scoring, with Stephen Kelly on-target with a fine finish following some good set-up work from Glenn Middleton.

Middleton then turned goalscorer himself, capitalising on an error from the Leicester goalkeeper to hand his side a 2-0 advantage at the interval.

Zak Rudden grabbed a quick-fire double after the break, the second of which from the penalty spot, before Liam Burt got in on the act and then Rudden completed his hat-trick to end the rout with two minutes left to play.

Overjoyed coach Billy Kirkwood spoke to rangers.co.uk shortly after the final whistle, and after last week declaring their 2-1 defeat of FC Copenhagen as their best of the season, he believes this afternoon’s result trumps that.

He explained: “We got thumped 6-1 at Ibrox, so for the lads to reacts in such a way and come back after the period of time, is testament to the hard work they have done on a daily basis.

“To win 6-0, they were absolutely outstanding and by far, that is the best they have been all season.

“The first 10 or 15 minutes was a real, competitive game, but once they managed to get the first goal – a Stevie Kelly finish from a Glenn Middleton cut-back – it settled the nerves a little bit and we went on to put on a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

“We have always struggled against English teams, but today, we put all the good work they have been doing on the training pitch into practice.

“I have got to say too, Jordan Rossiter completed 90 minutes, is hopefully injury-free and he put in a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

Kirkwood pointed out the Leicester side was in no-way weakened from the one which won so comfortably at Ibrox earlier in the season – indeed believing the side Gers faced today was even STRONGER than the last time around.

He continued: “They strengthened their team from the under-19s that we played at Ibrox in the first half by introducing some of their under-23 team, and then in the second half, we played the under-19 team that beat us at Ibrox.

“So for our lads to go and put on that type of show and performance was absolutely outstanding. Every single player that was involved and every staff member is absolutely delighted with the outcome today.”

The Development Squad’s season rounds off next week as they host Everton at Auchenhowie, with Kirkwood hoping his side can finish with a flourish.

He added: “The last two games of this programme are testing for us. Like I said, we lost 6-1 to Leicester earlier and Everton beat us 3-0 down there as well.

“Hopefully the lads can take the confidence from this game today, take it into the Everton game and finish the season on a high.”
Click to expand...


Don't let the same thing what happened with Billy Gilmour happen with this current crop of youngsters that have been mentioned above.


Someone behind the scenes at Ibrox should be taking note.
 
Outstanding again from the youngsters. A job truly well done.

Hopefully 2 or 3 of them can break through soon into the first team/squad.
 
Great result for the young bears especially after the 6-1 doing Leicester gave us. I hear alot about Middleton and hopefully we will get a look at him in one of the remaining games this season.
 
If he stays fit then jordan rossiter still has the potential to be a huge player for us.
Our youth set-up after decades of neglect does now seem to be very well run and innovative!
 
Rudiger said:
https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/academy-leicester-0-6-gers/

A QUITE stunning Rangers performance saw them demolish Leicester City this afternoon in the penultimate match of their massively successful Games Programme.

Having suffered a painful 6-1 reverse to the Foxes at Ibrox back in September, Billy Kirkwood’s Development Squad travelled to the Midlands hoping to show how much they have progressed over the course of the season.

And they certainly did that, with the Light Blues turning in a wonderful showing against one of England’s best Academy sides.

It took Gers just 12 minutes to open the scoring, with Stephen Kelly on-target with a fine finish following some good set-up work from Glenn Middleton.

Middleton then turned goalscorer himself, capitalising on an error from the Leicester goalkeeper to hand his side a 2-0 advantage at the interval.

Zak Rudden grabbed a quick-fire double after the break, the second of which from the penalty spot, before Liam Burt got in on the act and then Rudden completed his hat-trick to end the rout with two minutes left to play.

Overjoyed coach Billy Kirkwood spoke to rangers.co.uk shortly after the final whistle, and after last week declaring their 2-1 defeat of FC Copenhagen as their best of the season, he believes this afternoon’s result trumps that.

He explained: “We got thumped 6-1 at Ibrox, so for the lads to reacts in such a way and come back after the period of time, is testament to the hard work they have done on a daily basis.

“To win 6-0, they were absolutely outstanding and by far, that is the best they have been all season.

“The first 10 or 15 minutes was a real, competitive game, but once they managed to get the first goal – a Stevie Kelly finish from a Glenn Middleton cut-back – it settled the nerves a little bit and we went on to put on a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

“We have always struggled against English teams, but today, we put all the good work they have been doing on the training pitch into practice.

“I have got to say too, Jordan Rossiter completed 90 minutes, is hopefully injury-free and he put in a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

Kirkwood pointed out the Leicester side was in no-way weakened from the one which won so comfortably at Ibrox earlier in the season – indeed believing the side Gers faced today was even STRONGER than the last time around.

He continued: “They strengthened their team from the under-19s that we played at Ibrox in the first half by introducing some of their under-23 team, and then in the second half, we played the under-19 team that beat us at Ibrox.

“So for our lads to go and put on that type of show and performance was absolutely outstanding. Every single player that was involved and every staff member is absolutely delighted with the outcome today.”

The Development Squad’s season rounds off next week as they host Everton at Auchenhowie, with Kirkwood hoping his side can finish with a flourish.

He added: “The last two games of this programme are testing for us. Like I said, we lost 6-1 to Leicester earlier and Everton beat us 3-0 down there as well.

“Hopefully the lads can take the confidence from this game today, take it into the Everton game and finish the season on a high.”
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A great result for the kids and a credit to their coach/manager but the biggest positive has to be Rossiter playing a full ninety.
 
I was at Ibrox for that Leicester mauling, what a reverse score to inflict on them in return. Well done lads!
 
We want to rave about performances, results and progressing players to the first team but complain about the ability of Ryan Hardie who's a regular U21 international who has consistently proven himself capable at a level higher than U20.
 
Rudiger said:
https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/academy-leicester-0-6-gers/

A QUITE stunning Rangers performance saw them demolish Leicester City this afternoon in the penultimate match of their massively successful Games Programme.

Having suffered a painful 6-1 reverse to the Foxes at Ibrox back in September, Billy Kirkwood’s Development Squad travelled to the Midlands hoping to show how much they have progressed over the course of the season.

And they certainly did that, with the Light Blues turning in a wonderful showing against one of England’s best Academy sides.

It took Gers just 12 minutes to open the scoring, with Stephen Kelly on-target with a fine finish following some good set-up work from Glenn Middleton.

Middleton then turned goalscorer himself, capitalising on an error from the Leicester goalkeeper to hand his side a 2-0 advantage at the interval.

Zak Rudden grabbed a quick-fire double after the break, the second of which from the penalty spot, before Liam Burt got in on the act and then Rudden completed his hat-trick to end the rout with two minutes left to play.

Overjoyed coach Billy Kirkwood spoke to rangers.co.uk shortly after the final whistle, and after last week declaring their 2-1 defeat of FC Copenhagen as their best of the season, he believes this afternoon’s result trumps that.

He explained: “We got thumped 6-1 at Ibrox, so for the lads to reacts in such a way and come back after the period of time, is testament to the hard work they have done on a daily basis.

“To win 6-0, they were absolutely outstanding and by far, that is the best they have been all season.

“The first 10 or 15 minutes was a real, competitive game, but once they managed to get the first goal – a Stevie Kelly finish from a Glenn Middleton cut-back – it settled the nerves a little bit and we went on to put on a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

“We have always struggled against English teams, but today, we put all the good work they have been doing on the training pitch into practice.

“I have got to say too, Jordan Rossiter completed 90 minutes, is hopefully injury-free and he put in a fantastic performance.

“The way he goes about his business is second to none and our lads react to that in a real positive manner.”

Kirkwood pointed out the Leicester side was in no-way weakened from the one which won so comfortably at Ibrox earlier in the season – indeed believing the side Gers faced today was even STRONGER than the last time around.

He continued: “They strengthened their team from the under-19s that we played at Ibrox in the first half by introducing some of their under-23 team, and then in the second half, we played the under-19 team that beat us at Ibrox.

“So for our lads to go and put on that type of show and performance was absolutely outstanding. Every single player that was involved and every staff member is absolutely delighted with the outcome today.”

The Development Squad’s season rounds off next week as they host Everton at Auchenhowie, with Kirkwood hoping his side can finish with a flourish.

He added: “The last two games of this programme are testing for us. Like I said, we lost 6-1 to Leicester earlier and Everton beat us 3-0 down there as well.

“Hopefully the lads can take the confidence from this game today, take it into the Everton game and finish the season on a high.”
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that's fantastic :):)
 
Some change that over the season. Credit to the youth coaches. A clear improvement shown this season.
 
I'd like to see Rossiter being involved in the last few games, but even if he isn't hopefully he gets a good pre-season under him and raring to go for next season.
 
I’d really like to know their lineup before I pass judgement. Only fair if it’s the same team that pumped us 6-1 (I suspect not).
 
Fantastic result. Giving a few of the youngsters a run out in the first team would't be a bad idea circumstances permitting.
It would be great for confidence.
 
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RFCGTC said:
The boy Middleton is looking a right talent. If we had secured second already it would have been great to get him turning out for the 1st team before the end of the season. Sadly it won't happen due to our current position.
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Robust lad or what ? Who does he remind you of ? Hopefully a diamond in the rough.
 
a_weir said:
I’d really like to know their lineup before I pass judgement. Only fair if it’s the same team that pumped us 6-1 (I suspect not).
Click to expand...

I believe this was actually a stronger Leicester team than the previous match.

I think the last match their team was made up with of U19s and some U17s whereas this team was U23s and U19s. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

It looks to me like this is not only building the skills and technical quality of the individual players but building a strong 'team'. Maybe all the travelling around UK and Europe is also having the added benefit of building relationships and unity.

Players always say trips away for Pre Season and such is where team spirit is built and having this travel so often during a full year may be giving us and added benefit. They look like a good squad who work well together.

Could be good moving forward to bring up a core of the team, saving us money and having a core of players who really have that Rangers mentality of having to win every game.

Good times
 
DeeGer10 said:
With the return of the reserve league next year it will be good to see them in action against “men”
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Problem may well be that we won’t use this for development squad as we have just now but fot the players not getting a game for the first team.
Like Herrera, Hudson and Cardoso.
 
pelem said:
Don't let the same thing what happened with Billy Gilmour happen with this current crop of youngsters that have been mentioned above.


Someone behind the scenes at Ibrox should be taking note.
Click to expand...
Different circumstances here, bud.
Gilmour had signed a professional contract as he was not of working age.
Any players not eighteen yet can only be signed for two years maximum I’m sure it was.
So, maybe we are still vulnerable from predators wanting to poach from this group.
Over eighteen and these players are in the same contract situation as the first team squad.
Or, so I believe anyway.
 
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