Saturday afternoon saw a breakout Rangers performance for Greg Stewart, but another fringe Gers player also got some valuable minutes under their belt.
George Edmundson.
The 22-year-old centre-back signed from EFL League Two club Oldham Athletic back in June and earned three starts in the early weeks of the season.
He impressed in Europa League qualifying outings against St Joseph’s and Progres Niederkorn, as a physically imposing defender who looked comfortable in possession.
However, when the stakes moved up a notch and the big games started coming, he dropped down the pecking order.
Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic have started most games at the heart of the defence, with Filip Helander also recently enjoying a run in the side.
All the while, Edmundson has been patiently waiting. On Saturday, over a month after his last appearance, which came in the League Cup against East Fife, he was given a run-out against Aberdeen.
In a surprising move, he replaced Steven Davis for the final 15 minutes and took up a holding midfield role.
The unfamiliar surroundings didn’t seem to phase him and he impressed both when on the ball and with a well-timed tackle.
Rangers fans laud Edmundson following cameo
For a player who made 54 appearances at Oldham last season [Soccerbase], his relative lack of playing time must be taking some getting used to.
So far, he’s carried himself extremely well though, and it seems he’s appreciative of just being able to call himself a Rangers player.
Still a young player, Edmundson signed a four-year deal at Ibrox and if he keeps plugging away and developing, his time will come.
That’s an opinion clearly shared by many Bears, and when the summer signing tweeted to mark his appearance in the win, he was inundated with praise.
Here’s a selection of responses:
https://twitter.com/sharpdiv7/status/1178311286460956674
https://twitter.com/NeillyC99/status/1178303784260440065
https://twitter.com/weepaljoe_/status/1178303307410006016
https://twitter.com/CMackechnie/status/1178289422405656576
https://twitter.com/alirv5/status/1178307083067908096
https://twitter.com/KT_Mulholland/status/1178323737369808897
