Ibrox loanee James Maxwell scored for Ayr United on Wednesday in an Ayrshire Derby that featured a number of former Rangers players.
Maxwell has been on loan at Ayr since July and after an impressive first half of the season, he was linked with a permanent move away from Ibrox.
A number of clubs were reportedly interested including Leeds United [Mail on Sunday 02/01/2022, p. 141], and both Ayr and Dunfermline Athletic subsequently confirmed their interest, before reports suggested that he could sign a new deal at Rangers [Scottish Daily Express].
In the end, nothing changed and he made his 26th appearance of the season for the Honest Men on Wednesday night against rivals Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
Killie had won the two previous Ayrshire duels this season and they took the lead in just the seventh minute through Fraser Murray.
Maxwell stepped up just seven minutes later, though, flicking in an equaliser from close range.
It was his fourth goal of the season – three of which have come in the Championship – to go alongside four assists.
The scores were level until the 80th minute, when Patrick Reading came up with a winner for the visitors, much to the delight of the away section.
There were a number of former Rangers players on either side, with Kyle Lafferty, Lee Hodson and Chris Burke – who assisted the opening goal – all turning out for Killie, while ex-Rangers full-back Jordan Houston and Ibrox Academy product Aidan McAdams played for Ayr.
It was the latter two ex-Gers who went home happy and the first win in a month for Lee Bullen’s side has moved them into seventh, seven points clear of bottom of the table Queen of the South having played two more matches.
Meanwhile, Gio van Bronckhorst has raved about a 27-year-old who may well have turned his Rangers career around.
