Dom Ball could have been forgiven for deja vu as he attempted to help Mark Warburton guide a Rangers side to promotion from the Championship back into the top flight.
It’s the blue and white of QPR that the midfielder pulls on for work these days although Saturday’s defeat to Stoke all but ended those play-off hopes.
But six years ago the Londoner was part of Warburton’s Glasgow version that clinched Championship promotion to end a four-year absence from the top tier of Scottish football.
Not only that but Ball tuned into last Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final to watch his old club dump Celtic and was immediately reminded of the best day of his LIFE.
It may have been six years ago last week but that thrilling Hampden victory over Ronny Deila’s Hoops which went all the way to a shoot out is as clear in the 26-year-old’s mind as if it was yesterday.
The 120 minutes – plus penalties – has a chapter all to itself in Ball’s book ‘From Winning Teams to Broken Dreams’, published this month, which tells the story of his and five of his best friends’ attempts to make it to the Premier League from when they were school kids.
Ball may stand just two games away from a potential play-off shot at achieving that dream but nothing yet can match his nine months in Govan in which he quickly learned that for Old Firm supporters football isn’t just a hobby – it’s a way of life.
And now he has had his greatest day, he’s backing Rangers to have theirs by reaching the Europa League Final. Speaking to Record Sport, Ball said: “That year at Rangers was the best of my career. And when I think about the Scottish Cup semi final that was one of the best days of my life.
“When I first heard I was going up to Scotland on loan I was apprehensive and didn’t know what I was getting into.
“Even though I knew about Rangers, I had absolutely no idea about the size and scale of it.
“As I tell anyone down here – it’s a lifestyle for people. It’s Rangers or Celtic and to those supporters that’s the most important thing in the world.
“It’s amazing. And that was just in the Championship!
“Nothing I’ve done in football can match the semi final against Celtic.
“The confidence we had as a team, standing in the tunnel before kick off, even though we were still a Championship team and Celtic were going to win another title, we knew we were going to win.
“It sounds crazy to say that but that’s just the belief we had in each other. I was looking to the players all around me in Light Blue shirts and we knew our jobs.
“That’s still the biggest game of my career. I was standing in the tunnel nervous but thinking ‘this opportunity doesn’t come around a lot, to play in one of the biggest derbies in the world, go and enjoy it’.
“Ibrox gave me goosebumps. But Hampden that day was something else with the fireworks on top of the 50-50 split.”
There’s one survivor from that side still at the very forefront of Rangers’ rise back to the top – James Tavernier.
Ball insists the full-back’s leadership skills were evident even back then as a 24-year-old Ibrox rookie.
Rangers have since returned to the very top as champions and are eagerly awaiting a Europa League semi final against Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig on Thursday. Ball has watched the rise closely from his London base and has been impressed.
Having seen Gio van Bronckhorst’s side dump Borussia Dortmund over two legs he insists there’s absolutely nothing to fear on the continent – especially with Tavernier driving them on.
He said: “Tav was still a young player when I was there. Even back then he led by example and it’s no surprise to me to see him wearing the armband now.
“I’ve enjoyed watching Rangers. The Europa League journey has been incredible.
“The two Dortmund games were just .. wow!
“To beat them over two legs shows where Rangers are at the moment. They have shown there’s nothing to fear in Europe. If they could get into the Champions League group stages that would be the next step.”
• Dom Ball is hoping to write another chapter in his impressive career with QPR.
But the 26-year-old has already finished and published his first book - with an altogether more important target.
'From Winning Teams to Broken Dreams' is an enlightening insight into the journey of young footballers with big dreams - told through Ball and his five closest friends' .
The moving memoir is the real-life mud, sweat and tears journey of six bandof-brothers pals and their quest to become Premier League footballers.
Tragically, one of that tight group passed away last year from the bone cancer Ewing's Sarcoma.
Ball had started writing the book to help fund Spencer McCall's treatment. But now the royalties will be donated to the charity Sarcoma UK.
Ball said: "The book is a story of me and my group of six mates when we first joined the academies as young boys, and the process of going through that and just how tough it is to make it as a footballer.
"We had a dream. The goal was always to make it to the Premier League . We ended up at different levels and it shows what a rollercoaster a football career is.
"One of those boys, Spencer McCall, sadly passed away last year from Ewing's Sarcoma. He was my best mate."
'From Winning Teams to Broken Dreams', by DOMINIC BALL is out now on Amazon, priced £10.79 with all royalties going towards Sarcoma UK.
