Stirling Albion boss Darren Young believes his players will up their game in Friday’s eagerly-awaited Scottish Cup fourth-round tie with Rangers at Ibrox.
Young is no stranger to the stadium, having played there a number of times while at Aberdeen, however this will be the first time the former Albion Rovers and East Fife boss will take a team to Ibrox as manager.
The match is live on Premier Sports, kick-off 7.45pm, and is expected to attract a big crowd for what will be Rangers’ first home fixture of 2022.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side went into the winter break six points clear at the top of the cinch Premiership and returned to action against Aberdeen at Pittodrie last night (Tuesday).
Young admits he can’t wait for the match and believes it’s a great chance for his players to thrive in front of a big crowd and great atmosphere.
He said: “We are looking forward to it. Rangers will have lots of possession and we will need to be hard to beat but when we get on the ball, we need to try to attack and make the most of any opportunities we do get — it’s also important we use the possession we have well.
“As a player you up your level a bit for these sorts of games — there should be a big crowd and a great atmosphere and there are young players at the club who have a great platform to show what they can do.
“It’s great for the players and our fans that they can go and experience that and also for the bank balance of the club!
“You were sitting recently wondering if we were going to get 500 or maybe 30,000 and it makes a massive difference to a club of our size.
“I was manager of East Fife when we played Rangers at Bayview a few years ago and Steven Gerrard was in charge - we did OK but it was 3-0 in the end. I played at Ibrox a few times but Friday is not about me – it’s a chance for the players to show everyone what they have in their locker.”
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It’s a big occasion for the Binos, whose earlier wins over Berwick Rangers (2-1) and Tranent Juniors (4-0) have been rewarded with a glamour game that will be of major financial benefit.
Young’s men trained on Monday evening and are due to get together again tonight in a change to the usual Tuesday-Thursday routine to accommodate the Friday fixture.
It will be only the third time the club have featured in a live TV game – the first was the 0-0 draw against Rangers at Ibrox in March 2013, which was the last meeting of the teams.
Stirling famously won 1-0 at Forthbank earlier that season with an early Brian Allison goal and also drew 1-1, with their only defeat across four matches in Division Three being 2-0 at Ibrox.
