There were a couple of praiseworthy performances on Saturday for Rangers, despite the overall display. All of the players certainly deserve credit for continuing to work hard and getting the three points, as confidence was low and yet more changes to the team required. Most will feel they can offer much more, especially on the ball. However, a couple of young players impressed.
Had Ross McCrorie started the match, there’s a very real chance he would have been considered the Man of the Match. His contribution in the second half allowed multiple players to play with more freedom. He won more tackles than any other Rangers player, despite only playing the second half. Within a couple of minutes of entering the match, he had a shot at goal from distance on his left foot which wasn’t far away. His attitude and ability to win the ball inspired his teammates to give more.
Man of the Match on the day, in my opinion, was David Bates. Not only did he score the winning goal, he also defended excellently throughout. Early in the match, he showed he wasn’t struggling with any lack of sharpness as he got his body inbetween man and ball and dealt with an attack. Boyd was looking to win the physical battle, but didn’t get a lot of joy from Bates throughout. The only real moment Bates made a mistake was when he gave away a foul on the edge of the box.
For the goal, which was his first for Rangers, he showed strength and desire to get on the end of the ball from Goss. He didn’t even have to jump, it was just about getting to the right position before anyone else. At the start of the season, had you told any Rangers fan Bates would be so heavily involved, they’d have laughed at the notion. At the moment, most are feeling somewhat disappointed that we’ll be losing him at the end of the season. Overall, he has been the best defender at the club in a season where they’ve played over ten defensive partnerships.
Do you agree that Bates was Man of the Match? Tweet us @abouttherangers with your thoughts!
