More than a game for Kettlewell

AT least one member of Stuart Kettlewell’s immediate family is hoping that Rangers ruin the Ross County manager’s weekend.

Kettlewell revealed that his brother Keith is a season-ticket holder at Ibrox and would always rather Rangers won — despite his sibling’s association with the opposition.

But Kettlewell insists there will be no hard feelings whatever the outcome of today’s Premiership match, insisting: ‘It’s just a wee bit of a joke between brothers.

‘I come from a big Rangers family. Yet Ibrox is the only ground I never played at. Ross County were promoted to the Premier League just as Rangers were demoted and the crossover never happened, which was regrettable.’

Kettlewell (below) does not regret missing out on the chance to pull on a light-blue jersey, however, after being picked up on Rangers’ radar as a youngster.

Nothing came of that interest, but the County boss reflected that it was very likely a blessing in disguise.

‘Rangers are a huge club and have a fantastic academy, but the best education I could ever have had was at

Queen’s Park,’ he explained.

‘I was given the opportunity to play there, so there was no disappointment as I loved my education and it was the type of grounding most youngsters should have.

‘We speak about playing at big clubs and just being a number, so it was good to be trusted to play in a men’s environment that meant something.

‘I didn’t start at the top and go down. I came up through the ranks and had a foundation of hard work to strive for what I wanted to achieve.

‘I am continually learning as a manager and I look at these games as a chance for not just the players to learn, but also me and the staff.

‘We see teams dominate the ball and international players doing things that we don’t see on a weekly basis and have to come up with solutions.

‘It stretches players to the limit and also managers and coaches and I look forward to the challenge — not for self-gratitude but for the football club and the players.’

But even before they step on to the pitch today, Kettlewell hopes that his players have already learned from the mistakes they made against Aberdeen a week ago in a three-goal defeat. But while demanding a positive reaction, Kettlewell stressed: ‘I am not going to keep lambasting the players because they have been good for me in eight games out of nine. Historically, these games are self-motivating.’