Walsh keen on sparking the Fir Park rescue job

TOM WALSH is desperate to inject a shot of adrenaline into a tired, flagging Rangers side at Motherwell tomorrow.

The 18-year-old midfielder appeared as a 54th-minute replacement for Dean Shiels in the first leg of the Play-Off Final and breathed some much-needed life into Ibrox.

As Stuart McCall wrestles with a raft of injuries and exhausted legs ahead of a Fir Park salvage job, the teenager admits he now wants a chance to start the second leg.

‘It would be great to play in this type of massive game for the club,’ said Walsh. ‘For me, that would be great. I certainly hope I’ll play. I would love to start.

‘You want to play in these big games where everyone is watching. That’s what it’s all about. It’s why you play football, so I absolutely want to be involved.

‘I am ready to go if I am called upon. The boys have played in a lot of games and they will be tired, of course they will be.

‘By and large, they have performed well. Obviously, Thursday night was disappointing, so I couldn’t really say anything about being out the team. I hope I did enough to get a call. I would be raring to go for it.’

Fo r Rangers, the psychology tomorrow is simple. They must score a minimum of two more goals than Motherwell do. Darren McGregor’s late header at Ibrox offered a lifeline and Walsh (right) admits it will take a spectacular afternoon to win promotion.

‘It would be great to be part of something special,’ he said. ‘To get on the park would be amazing, as it would to be involved at all.

‘I hadn’t been involved in the Play- Offs up until the Motherwell game and I was looking to get on at 3- 0 because I wanted to make an impact.

‘The manager told me to get balls into the box and to create things. My game is all about creating for the team and that’s what I tried to do.

‘Going into Sunday’s game, we need to attack. I hope to be part of it. We will just have to wait and see.

‘ There are a few di s a ppointed boys because of the first-leg result. To lose 3-1 at Ibrox on the last home game of the season, and in a massive game, wasn’t great.

‘The first goal on Sunday will be huge because, if we get it, we could pile the pressure on them.’ SUPPORTERS group Rangers First have purchased another 17,000 shares to i ncrease their overall stake in the club to 2.49 per cent — despite the suspension of the club’s stocks from t he AIM market.

Spokesman Ricki Neil said: ‘Rangers First are in regular touch with our brokers looking for opportunities to add to our shareholding and do so when a trade can be agreed under the new JP Jenkins platform.

‘We continue to examine other ways to increase our ownership as we feel it is imperative to reach our initial goal of five per cent shareholding as soon as possible.

‘We will still be able to follow any further share issue organised by the board, thus not diluting our shares. We urge all Rangers fans to join Rangers First to ensure the success of our club in future.’