'What a good player he is': Rangers loanee given glowing verdict as he shines on full debut

Yesterday at 08:00 AM

Robbie Fraser left Rangers on loan in an attempt to prove his worth at senior level this month. And, on a dream debut for Livingston, it’s fair to say he did just that.

First impressions count for a lot in football. The Ibrox loanee certainly made a good one on his new Livingston supporters on Tuesday night, Robbie Fraser announcing himself in style as he ended the club’s three-match losing streak while breathing fresh life into their promotion challenge on what was his full debut for the second-tier club.

With the number 11 shirt on his back, it was the Scotland Under 21 international’s slide-rule pass which started the move which opened the scoring.

And while Fraser had never scored a senior goal before, you certainly wouldn’t have guessed that given the way one of the rising stars of Rangers’ academy fired Livingston ahead for the second time against Airdrieonians; Driving into the box from the left-hand side and fizzing a ruthless finish into the far corner of the visitor’s net.

Talk about making an impact.

One start, one goal, one ‘pre-assist’, and Rangers loanee Robbie Fraser is a Livingston favourite already.It is not only the fans who have taken to the swashbuckling left-back, meanwhile, but also the coaching staff too.

• READ MORE:Rangers Players Loaned Out 2024/25

David Martindale hails Robbie Fraser as Rangers loanee shines on full Livingston debut

“It was a good three points,” Livi manager David Martindale told reporters after a win which keeps his side within four points of leaders Falkirk. “I thought we started the game well before being a wee bit slack at times.

“I thought we had more than enough chance to win the game and that’s a part where we probably need to do better as a group. We lacked a wee bit of composure in the final third. So as much as I felt we deserved to win the game, we created enough chances for the game to be a wee bit easier.”

“That was one of the reasons I brought Robbie in. He was involved in a lot of our good play and I thought he and Cristian [Montano] teamed up really well down the left hand side.

“You could see how much it meant to Robbie, which was nice. It’s as if he’s been in with us since last year!

“It meant a lot to him to get that goal.”

Considering that Fraser is hardly renowned for his goalscoring instincts, the 21-year-old would have been forgiven for letting nerves get the better of him as he found himself one-v-one with the onrushing Airdrie ‘keeper.

But if he felt any jitters, he certainly didn’t betray them.

“Robbie has done well,” smiles Brian Rice, Livingston’s first-team coach. “It’s a great pass into him, a good first touch, a wee bit of composure, and to score his first goal, a winning goal…

“I think Robbie gave us energy, gave us life, showed us what a good player he is. Robbie has come in and he’s took his chance tonight.

“I thought he did really well, the kid.”

Philippe Clement criticised for Bailey Rice handling as Rangers youngsters wait for chances

Whether a future at Ibrox still awaits Fraser, only time will tell.

Philippe Clement has been reluctant to throw his youngsters into the Premiership mixer at times, with the Rangers boss copping criticism for his handling of Bailey Rice.

The 18-year-old midfielder was left out of the squad as Rangers cruised past St Johnstone on Sunday. Something which left former Gers stalwart Andy Halliday a little confused, wondering why Kieran Dowell is getting the minutes which would be so much more beneficial for teenager Rice’s development.

"When you see the stats for the minutes of Under-21 players in the league, how low it is crazy for me," Halliday sighs. "[Clubs can pick] nine subs now, and there's no Scottish young boys anywhere! If you've got nine subs, at least one has to be an academy product.

"Celtic is a hard one because they've got so many top-quality players. But Rangers, for me, that's a Bailey Rice replacing Kieran Dowell on the bench.

"Kieran Dowell, in the eyes of Rangers fans, does not have a future at Rangers," Halliday adds. "If he's getting any minutes, for the most part it's meaningless minutes.

"You're giving [Bailey] a chance [instead], if they are 3-0 up against St Johnstone, he's getting half an hour at the end of the game.”