Cedric Itten squandered another chance to stake a claim for a Rangers first team return as the Swiss misfit fired another blank for the second string.
But the same certainly can’t be said of the man - sorry, kid - who replaced 28-year-old frontman in the Glasgow Cup tie against Queen’s Park.
Itten was hooked at half-time in the weekend ‘B’ team clash against Celtic and was substituted again, this time on the hour mark, against the Spiders.
And that was all the time his replacement Tony Weston needed to fire a double and take his tally for the season to a staggering 35 goals.
Given the way the young Scouser’s season has gone so far, it was hardly a surprise to ‘B’ team boss David McCallum.
He told the club’s website: “(Tony’s) goals this season tell you that he just finds his way to sniff opportunities and being in the right place at the right time – I’m delighted for him.”
Weston, who hails from the same Huyton area of Liverpool as former Gers boss Steven Gerrard, joined the club on a three-year deal from Blackpool in the summer of 2020.
And fans are now asking when they might see the hot-shot make the step up to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s after his latest scoring exploits.
Many took to Twitter and one wrote: “Tony Weston has smashed in 35 goals so far this season for our ‘B’ squad - more than double the next player and 22 more than Juan Alegria. Young lad is on flames.”
Another said: “Surely can’t be long until Tony Weston gets a chance with the first team, even on the bench. Kid is just banging in goals.”
Others highlighted the fact he had upstaged Itten, one saying: “Wee Tony Weston came on for Itten on 61 min and still managed to bag a brace against Queen’s Park. I’m sorry but I don’t see much hope for Itten (and) can see him going in the summer.”
Who is Tony Weston?
Born in Liverpool, the young striker started his career at Blackpool where he came through the club’s Academy and made his debut at the age of just 16 as a last minute substitute in an FA Cup second round tie against Maidstone.
He was given a standing ovation in the 3-1 victory and even in that short cameo showed glimpses of his incredible talent.
The previous week he had been taken out of school to be part of the Blackpool squad for an away game at Ipswich Town and while he wasn’t named in the squad he stayed overnight in the hotel and took part in the pre-match warm-up at Portman Road.
Why did he join Rangers?
Steven Gerrard was an obvious factor at the time but also the chance to make a huge step up in terms of club size.
He told the club’s website: ““It’s a massive move for me. A really huge move. It’s a big step up coming to Rangers compared to Blackpool but the facilities here are incredible and I am really enjoying it.
“The facilities here are top class and this is a really exciting move for me.
“I’m delighted to be here and I will work as hard as possible to make an impact at Rangers.
“I spoke to ex-Rangers youth striker Ryan Hardie about the club when I was at Blackpool and he told me great things. He told me this is a great club and the facilities and coaches are amazing and he is right.
“When I first got up here I could see that for myself. I’ve also seen Ibrox now and it’s an amazing stadium. The Trophy Room in incredible and shows you what a successful club this really is.”
What has been said about him?
Former Seasiders boss Simon Grayson gave Weston his first taste of first team football when he came off the bench in an FA Cup tie against Maidstone in December 2019.
Grayson said: “I’ve not stopped talking about him with my staff since watching him (in a reserve game) at Squires Gate about 10 days ago.
“He’s got so much enthusiasm. The lads were watching what he was doing, where his pure enthusiasm and love of being a professional footballer is at the front of his mind.
“He’s got 30-year-old lads behind him in the warm-up and I’ve never known a 16- year-old lead with stuff like that.
“He’s got confidence in his ability and it’s great for him. He’ll never forget his debut.”
And when he left Bloomfield Road for Ibrox, Blackpool chief executive Ben Mansford said: “It is always disappointing to lose a young player, particularly one who is as talented as Tony and has been with the Club for so long.
“The FIFA regulations offer the club very little protection against clubs from other nations targeting our talent when they turn 16 years of age.
“Notwithstanding the amount of time and effort that the Club had spent developing Tony since the age of nine, we had no ability to ensure Tony remained with us.
“As a club that is seeking to develop its own talent through building our own Academy, this is a situation that must be challenged as soon as possible as it cannot be right that we lose our best young talent for the amounts set down by FIFA.
“Whilst Tony’s exit is very disappointing, Rangers did handle the situation fairly and professionally. I would like to place on record our thanks to Rangers for their handling of this matter.”
