St Johnstone goalkeeper Joshua Rae might well have taken Rangers winger Ross McCausland off his Christmas card list this afternoon in Glasgow.
The young Northern Irishman didn’t start the Premier Sports Cup clash between Rangers and the Perthshire Saints at Hampden, but boy did he finish it.
In a potential banana skin for the Rangers team, Ross McCausland popped up with a crucial second goal for the club just moments after St Johnstone had blown a huge chance to equalise.
Softly dinking the ball over the outrushing Joshua Rae when it broke to him in the box, it was a composed finish in the style of the great man Lionel Messi.
Adding to Cyriel Dessers’ controversial opener to secure a 2-0 victory, it’s a goal which has turned heads around Scotland as McCausland takes the plaudits from two ex-Gers heroes.
McCausland’s ‘incredible’ finish
Rangers fans can see the strides Ross McCausland is making this season on the park.
The 21-year-old winger from Antrim rasped the ball off the side of the post in Poland v Dynamo Kyiv and that moment was even cited by Philippe Clement as a cause for optimism in his young squad.
And now against St Johnstone, the young winger showed expert composure to gently lift the ball over the goalkeeper and secure safe passage to the next round of the cup.
It’s a finish which is made more impressive by the fact that McCausland had actually missed a similar chance moments earlier.
Speaking about the goal on BBC Sport’s live coverage of the match, former Rangers winger Neil McCann has heaped praise on the young Ulsterman.
“It’s a first-class finish,” McCann told BBC Sport.
“It’s a beautiful little finish from McCausland, he’s so composed, he just stabs it into the ground and lifts it over him.”
It’s not just Neil McCann who was impressed with the stunning little finish either, as former Rangers full-back Richard Foster also chimed in.
Whilst Foster played at the other end of the park, the Scottish football journeyman claims that it was a match securing moment from the talented attacker.
“It’s an incredible finish,” said Foster, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“Brilliant composure, he knows that he’s winning the game there.”
Rangers winger continues to grow
It was an impressive moment for Ross McCausland with the young ex-Linfield winger now off the mark for the season.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement continued to blood the youngster last season after McCausland was first given his chance by fellow Ulsterman Steven Davis.
There are elements of Ross’s game that Rangers fans want to see improve and one of those elements is adding more goals and assists to the squad.
If Rangers can help McCausland to produce more numbers and to be more composed or ambitious in front of goal it will only benefit the Ibrox team.
But as for Ross McCausland himself – who was linked with Newcastle United last season – it’s another step forward to making a big career in the game.
