With it being little more than a training match, there were few real takeaways from Rangers 1-0 win over Partick Thistle on Tuesday evening.
The most obvious one was Stephen Kelly’s second half performance, but one that went slightly under the radar was that of the only player to play the whole 90 minutes – Robby McCrorie.
McCrorie, at 23-years old is still young for a goalkeeper, especially for one that might have to deal with the pressure of taking over from a genuine club legend in the shape of Allan McGregor, it’s worth remembering that the Gers number one didn’t really establish himself as the starting number one until his mid-twenties himself.
One man who did notice McCrorie’s display was assistant manager Gary McAllister, who has seen a change in the Scotland Under-21 cap’s demeanour, as reported by Glasgow Live:
“You look at Robby now and he really has matured.
“I’ve noticed that around the training ground, he’s become more of a man.
“He’s taking more responsibility, taking ownership of his back four, and he had a great save from the big lad (Brian) Graham to tip it over the bar.
“He had a really good night.”
It was a very accomplished performance, his handling was sound, he was confident in possession and made a couple of fine saves in the first-half until Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun came on and shored things up in the second.
With Jon McLaughlin still having another 12-months on his contract, it would be a surprise if McCrorie doesn’t head out on loan again to continue his development but he has shown, albeit in just a pre-season friendly, that he could yet be the long-term answer to one of Steven Gerrard’s most difficult questions.