CHRIS BURKE brimmed with emotion last night as he dedicated his spectacular Scotland debut to his unwell grandmother after a 5-1 rout of Bulgaria in which Rangers' two brightest hopes emphatically staked their claims to regular places in the national team.

The 22-year-old winger scored with his first kick after coming off the bench during the Kirin Cup match in Kobe's Wing Stadium and later claimed a second goal.

That tally had already been achieved by Kris Boyd, his Ibrox clubmate, who capped his first senior international appearance with a first-half double before a minor groin strain denied him the opportunity of a hat trick.

Burke was this week named Rangers' player of the year by both the dressing room and supporters of the club, and also received a personal accolade from John Greig.

His instant impact was made despite the lingering effect of Monday's 12-hour flight to Japan and further boosted his growing reputation.

He had barely regained his breath afterwards before the messages of congratulation began to arrive.

"I've already had a few texts from back home and my parents were watching on telly, " he said. "To be honest, that performance and my goals are for my gran, Ella.

"She's in hospital and she told me before the game to play well and score a goal for her, so my two are for her. I'm just about lost forwords. To get on and play was an honour, and then I scored a goal with my first kick.

"It's maybe a wee bit of history with me and Kris both scoring two on our debuts in the same game. It was great that the pair of us were able to do well and represent our club as well as our country."

Burke's first goal was Scotland's fourth and came three minutes after his 74th-minute introduction. One touch on his chest and a f licked lob into the net beat Stoyan Kolev, the Bulgarian goalkeeper, in stunning fashion before he later diverted in Ian Murray's mis-hit shot.

"It's incredible. I've actually got more goals now than I have caps, " said Burke. "It's been a weird week, as I've slept all day and sat up all night after the journey. I wouldn't be able to cope with the J-League.

"We've never played together as a team and to do that well was brilliant. We created plenty of chances and I hope it can now be a successful new era."

Walter Smith, the national team manager, was understandably thrilled with both the result and the performance, set in motion when Boyd lashed in a 13th-minute shot. The Rangers striker made it 39 goals this season with a closerange effort to restore the lead before half-time.

Smith admitted afterwards that the national squad had long been "crying out" for someone with his ability to sniff out chances.

He said: "He's someone we can look at and think he'll get goals. Even if he is not starting a match you would have confidence in him to come off the bench and score.

"No striker is too keen to come off when he's sitting on two goals but he had a slight groin strain. I didn't want to take any chance with him, especially with another game against Japan to come. It was just a precaution.

"I've seen enough of Kris over the last couple of years to realise he is an exceptional finisher. There are obviously other bits of his game to which he might not pay too much attention but that's the same as any goalscorer. It's part of their psyche."

The player was more than satisfied with his first Scotland outing but is unable to explain his knack for finding a half-yard of space inside the penalty area.

"It's pleasing to get my first cap but to go out and also get a couple of goals has really topped it off, " said Boyd.

"The first one came after a great ball from Darren Fletcher and for the second one, well, I just always seem to be in the right position, don't I? I think it must be something in me to get myself in there where the chances seem to come.

"Being part of this trip to Japan has capped off a wonderful season for me because the fairytale just seems to continue."

The strikerwas flabbergasted at Burke's rapid scoring feat. "I pulled him up after the game and told him I'd never seen him score in training never mind in a game, " smiled Boyd. "But what a finish his first one was."

Smith was equally impressed and also praised the level of enthusiasm and effort the winger brought to the team. The manager did, though, caution against expectation that both will be expected to carry a burden in next season's Euro 2008 qualifiers.

"I'm always a wee bit loth [to make bold predictions] with the boys because they're still young in international terms, " said Smith. "One appearance doesn't always make everything, but it's nice to be involved with them because they're keen and want to play at this level."

James McFadden scored Scotland's other goal but perhaps the best overall display came from Fletcher in central midfield. The 22-year-old has endured much criticism from Manchester United fans this season but looked in absolutely peak form. "We forget he's still a young guy as well, but I was delighted with his performance, " said Smith. "During the season, a lot of people placed an element of doubt against him but I think he's a smashing player."