Hibs kid Sam Stanton hungry after Ibrox debut

But even the sight of Ibrox skipper Steven Davis adding an injury-time fourth for Ally McCoist’s side wasn’t going to spoil the young midfielder’s big day, Stanton well aware that, had the outcome still been in the balance, it was an opportunity which probably would never have arrived.

And although he admitted he’d never anticipated playing in the SPL at such a tender age, Stanton revealed finally being given the call had ended a bit of a wait having been in the squad which travelled to both Pittodrie and Tannadice without stripping for action before then sitting on the bench for matches against Inverness Caley and Dunfermline without being asked to remove his tracksuit.

Stanton’s performances for Hibs’ Under-19 side had, though, caught the eye of Fenlon, as had his attitude to the daily training routine at East Mains, the Irishman having gone on record to state a first team appearance was assured, the only difficulty given the club’s current plight being to find the right moment to blood the kid.

So, with Saturday’s game long gone, goals from Davis, David Healy and Sone Aluko having secured all three points for Rangers in their pursuit of SPL leaders Celtic, Fenlon decided that, while there was nothing to lose for his team, there would be, at least, a little for Stanton to gain. The youngster said: “I’d imagine if things had been a bit different, had the game been much tighter than it was then I probably wouldn’t have got the chance to play.

“Obviously I’d rather have gone on with us winning 3-0 with a few minutes to play than losing but those few minutes mean more to me at this moment than anything else I’ve done in football.

“Making your first team debut is what it is all about, the years and years of hard work and dedication have paid off. It was the moment I’d been waiting for and for it to come at a place like Ibrox was brilliant.

“I’d been in the squad a couple of times and then on the bench without getting on but throughout that period the gaffer had been great with me, always speaking to me and telling me the opportunity would come, all I had to do was keep working hard.

“Then, when he told me I was going on he just said to get on the ball, do what I do and enjoy it. It’s hard to say you enjoyed it given the final scoreline but with the time added on I was on for five or six minutes and I did enjoy the experience.

“Of course it is vastly different to Under-19 football, the stadium, a big, big crowd and so on but that’s what every young player dreams of, that’s why you want to be a player in the first case.”