Bassey keen to keep cool head despite his disbelief
CALVIN BASSEY has experienced a remarkable rise during a season to remember at Ibrox.
But the defender reckons keeping his feet on the ground has been key to his success as part of a silverware-chasing Rangers side.
Bassey has been an impressive performer this term as he has operated at left-back and centreback berths with aplomb.
He is now in line to feature in Seville as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side set their sights on Europa League glory against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Van Bronckhorst has masterminded wins over Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig but Bassey knows Rangers will not get ahead of themselves leading into their shot at glory.
“I’m obviously excited for the occasion,” Bassey said. “There’s no shying away.
“It’s a massive day for the club and for us. And it’s a massive opportunity for us to make history.
“For us, it was never about thinking too far ahead. It’s been about taking each game as it comes, then building from that.
“We’ve had games where we’ve looked like we’re out, 1-0 against Braga, 1-0 down against Leipzig. But we just kept pushing through.
“Now it’s just amazing to be here in the final. Us being in this stage of a major European tournament is unbelievable really. The style of play, you can see the obvious difference [the manager] has made. We feel solid, we look solid and we’re just happy to be here.
“[My own development] has been amazing. Obviously being one of the younger boys the whole thing has just been amazing.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience and I’m just trying to take it all in. But at the same time I remember I’ve got a job to do.
“The boys around me keep me so calm and so grounded, so level-headed to make sure we take each game as it comes and keep our focus on the bigger picture.”