As quoted by the Daily Record, Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie has opened up on his ‘hectic’ loan switch to Livingston, admitting that he sought advice from QPR stopper Liam Kelly as he made the move.
McCrorie had been on loan with Queen of the South in the Championship, and he was due to remain there until the end of the 2019/20 season.
However, an injury to Livi no.1 Ryan Schofield saw the Premiership side register their interest and around 48 hours later, he was turning out for at the Tony Macaroni against St Johnstone.
He performed well on debut, pulling off several strong saves to register a clean sheet, with Gary Holt labelling him ‘exceptional’ [BBC Sport].
He admits it’s been a whirlwind few days, but that advice from an ex-Ranger settled the nerves. Kelly never managed to make a senior league appearance at Ibrox, but he did spend a season and a half in West Lothian.
“Monday was hectic,” said McCrorie, as quoted by Daily Record. “I came in on Tuesday and got the paperwork done and had my first training session, tried to get to know the boys and how they work.”
“I gave him a wee phone call [Kelly], he did great when he was here. He told me what it’s all about here.
“It’s a right tight-knit group. Everyone is in it together and you can see that on the pitch.
“Wednesday was a good result for us. It’s just one game but I’m happy with the start. There’s always things I can tidy up, small details, to try to get better.”
Verdict
It’s great to see that McCrorie felt comfortable leaning on a fellow Ger for advice ahead of his big Premiership debut, and he certainly delivered the goods.
Kelly’s strong performances for Livi earned him a permanent move to EFL Championship club QPR, where he’s since established himself at no.1.
An excellent six months in West Lothian won’t be enough for the Scotland U21 international to go straight into the Rangers starting XI, but with the likes of Wes Foderingham and Jak Alnwick set to leave the club in the summer at the expiration of their contracts, the no.2 spot is certainly there for the taking.
Livi are back in action this afternoon and McCrorie will no doubt be looking to make it two clean sheets from two when they travel to Hamilton for a 3 pm kick-off.
