Bank on Boydy to sign off as a hero

STUART McCALL told Kris Boyd he would score the goal which took Rangers back into the Scottish Premiership- even when the veteran striker wasn’t in the squad.

A goal on Sunday would be the 250th of the 31-year-old’s career and the perfect way to bow out of Ibrox if the club can beat Motherwell who lead 3-1 from the first leg.

Boyd has been used sparingly since McCall took over in March, but he was sent on against Motherwell on Thursday as a late substitute and even came close to scoring.

So what chance of him signing off his second spell at Rangers with a typical poacher’s effort?

McCall said: “Could this be Boydy’s day? Yeah.

“The first time I left him out of my 18 I said to him to stick at it because he could could be the one who gets us the winning goal that gets us up, and that he had to keep his eyes on that.

“At one stage he wasn’t in the 18. We didn’t take him to Hibs with us. He didn’t go to Dumbarton either.

“He could have spat the dummy out like a lot of senior pros might have done, but he didn’t.”

Boys was supposed to score barrowloads of goals at this level, but he’s managed only ten in total this season – three in the league – and he will be shipped out in the summer, with former club Kilmarnock a possible destination.

McCall said: “I honestly don’t know why it hasn’t worked for him.

“All I can say, and I said this to a lot of them, that he couldn’t have been a better professional since I’ve been at this club.

“It has been so difficult for a lot of them whose contracts are up who have not had any game time to either impress me or a new manager or whatever.

“But Boydy has come to training every day and trained to his maximum. Boydy has always been just filling in. But I can’t speak highly enough of his attitude.

“It must be difficult not being involved, especially with what he has done for the club and his past record here.”