In the build-up to the Rangers Celtic Scottish FA Youth Cup final, a lot of the talk was over Celtic “wonderkid” Karamoko Dembele.
But it was a young Rangers starlet who stole the headlines. Josh McPake’s direct, creative performance earned the man of the match award. And the plaudits of supporters.
The Rangers Academy Player of the Year was physical and ambitious and certainly looked the more creative of the two.
Whilst Karamoko Dembele didn’t play poorly, Rangers simply had too much for the young Celtice player. Dembele wasn’t given a chance to get properly into the game and it’s a credit to the work of the Rangers side and their tactics.
On the other end of the pitch, Josh McPake flourished under the pressure. He took the game by the scruff of the neck when Celtic clawed their way back into it and won the freekick which led to the eventual winner.
McPake rose to the occasion and took responsibility for the side in a cup final, the mark of a top player. He would have also wanted to catch the eye of Steven Gerrard in the stand.
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It was a mature, responsible performance from McPake and gave us a glimpse of what’s to come at Ibrox.
And should this Rangers youth team continue to thrive, could we soon see a golden generation of talent come through at the club?
