2019 has been a year filled with silverware for the Rangers Academy.
The last youth fixture of the year came on Wednesday 18 December, with the under 18s hammering Dundee 4-1 at the Hummel Training Centre. It was a fitting result.
From Colts level all the way down to U16s, Rangers have taken on all comers and much more often than not, emerged victorious.
The highest-profile victory of the lot was the 3-2 triumph over Celtic in the Scottish Youth Cup final at Hampden Park in April. Nathan Young-Coombes scored a dramatic late winner to see Rangers win the competition for the first time in five years, following earlier strikes from Ciaran Dickson and Dapo Mebude.
That was far from an isolated success, though, and here’s a summary of the other main achievements of 2019.
U16s
This age-group side has dominated the first half of the 2019/20 season. They were crowned SuperCup NI and Albim Cup champions during the early throws of the campaign, before handing out some heavy beatings on their way to winning the league title.
U17s
The most notable triumph for this age group came last season when they became the first British side to lift the prestigious Alkass Cup in Qatar. Kai Kennedy was named Player of the Tournament.
Reserves
Back in May, under the leadership of Cammy Palmer, this team won the SPFL Reserve League on goal difference on the final day. Andy Dallas finished as the competition’s top goalscorer, but he has since left the club, signing for EFL League Two outfit Cambridge United.
Pending Successes
Rangers teams are currently progressing through a number of competitions.
The Colts have performed extraordinarily well, reaching the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup. The Young Gers have defeated five senior teams along the way, despite a major portion of the squad leaving the club on loan deals since the competition began.
The U18s are heavy favourites in the latest edition of the Youth Cup as they look to repeat last year’s triumph. They’re certainly going the right way about it, having hammered Celtic 5-0 in the second round of the competition.