(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Stirling Albion manager Darren Young will take his side to Ibrox tomorrow night looking to be the first to beat Rangers under Giovanni van Bronckhorst – and the Binos boss joked that it will be the closest he’s got to the Dutchman after coming up against him during his time as a player.
The League Two side will make the trip to Glasgow knowing they are unlikely to return to Stirling with their name in the Fifth Round draw but Young believes it will be a great opportunity for him to learn against one of the best managers in the country.
“To be honest, I’ll probably be closer to him in the dugout than I ever got to him on the park when we were players!” Young said [Daily Record].
“He was a great player for Rangers and went on to play for Barcelona and at World Cups, so he showed he had it as a player and now he’s showcasing himself as a manager.
From the coaching side of things, I’m really looking forward to it. It gives me an opportunity to test myself against Rangers. I’m always looking to learn and pick up things.
“We know how Rangers play, but they’ve got great players in every position so it will be very hard. We just want our guys to stick to their task and be dogged, hard to beat and see where it takes us.”
While Stirling Albion are rank outsiders for the Friday night Ibrox clash, Young isn’t writing his side off just yet, insisting “anything can happen” over the 90 minutes if his players stick to their tasks.
After watching Rangers draw 1-1 with Aberdeen earlier in the week, Young is heading to Govan with a positive attitude as the Binos earn a few quid from a decent Ibrox gate.
“Anything can happen Young added. “It’s 11 versus 11. You could have a sending off or something so we’ve just got to believe.
“All I’m asking of the players is to go and knock their pan in, leave everything on the park.
“I’m going there with the mentality that we can cause an upset and if we catch them on an off-day, who knows what can happen?
“We know how hard it is going to be. It’s going to be backs to the wall. But we’ve got players who have got a bit of pace, a bit of skill, who can run at players and get at teams.
“Hopefully we can get the breaks at the right time, do our best to keep a clean sheet as long as possible and, when we get our chances, we need to take them and capitalise on it.
“It’s a great opportunity for the boys to go and showcase their talents.
“It’s not very often they’ll get the chance to go to Ibrox.
“It’s a wee cash windfall for the club as well.”
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