Career pride is on the line for McManus

LEAGUE titles, famous Champions League nights and 26 caps for Scotland all have their chapters within the career story of Stephen McManus. At the age of 32, he has no intention of adding relegation as a footnote.

The Motherwell centre-half has a wealth of experience to call upon ahead of tonight’s Premiership Play-Off Final first leg at Ibrox.

He knows what it takes to emerge from the venue with victory, but is far more concerned with the present than the past.

Indeed, McManus would regard beating Rangers t o preserve top-flight football at Fir Park as a feat to rank alongside his very best in the game.

‘It would be right up there,’ he stated. ‘You work hard throughout your career to achieve things and earn yourself a decent reputation.

‘I’ve been fortunate enough to have a half- decent reputation in the game, have quite a decent CV, and I certainly don’t want to have a relegation against my name. That’s a personal bit of pride.

‘It could happen. But we certainly believe we’ve got a good squad and good coaching staff. It will come down to who handles the occasion best over the two games.’

Visits to a packed Ibrox became commonplace for McManus (below) when he emerged as a first-team regular at Celtic under Gordon Strachan’s management.

A decade on, he intends to savour every moment of the intense competition this evening will bring.

‘When I came back up the road, I never expected to play in big games of this magnitude again,’ admitted McManus, who joined Motherwell after l eaving Middlesbrough in 2013.

‘You need to enjoy them, because you don’t know when it’s going to be your l ast at a fullhouse stadium. You want to play in the biggest atmospheres possible and these will be two fantastic games.

‘Ibrox is a tough stadium to play at. You need to be hard to beat, first and foremost. You need to believe in yourselves when you are in possession and stay calm.

‘It’s a brilliant place to play. If you speak to anyone who has played at Ibrox in a game that means something, they will say the same.

‘The Rangers fans have been through the wringer in the last few years, so they will be up for it on Thursday night. Everyone is going to be right up for it.

‘You feel sorry for the Scottish Cup Final this week. It has kind of been overshadowed — nobody has really been talking about it.

‘ It should all be about the Inverness and Falkirk players this week. However, these are probably the biggest Play- Off games there are ever going to be in Scotland.’

Owen Coyle was t he last Motherwell player to score a winning goal at Ibrox. That was way back in May 1997, so long ago that Stuart McCall was still a Rangers player in a team chasing the Nine-In-A-Row dream.

‘Motherwell’s past record against Rangers at Ibrox doesn’t matter,’ McManus insisted. ‘I remember at Celtic everyone always making a mountain out of how long it was that the club hadn’t won away from home in the Champions League.

‘I remember saying to the lads in the dressing room that our group of players had only played away from home twice in the competition at that stage! It wasn’t all down to us.

‘We know how intense the game will be at Ibrox. I was speaking to Boydy (Kris Boyd) after their home game against Hibs in the semi-final and he said the atmosphere was like nothing he’d ever experienced before at Rangers. He said it was even better than the Champions League.’

McManus will find hi mself in di r ect opposition tonight to another old friend in Kenny Miller. ‘I played with Kenny at Celti c a nd f or Scotland,’ McManus said. ‘ He’s a great guy and I respect him a lot.’