GOALS from Rory Wilson and Darren McInally secured an eighth Scottish Youth Cup trophy for Rangers to add to their Ibrox cabinet last night.
Cameron Campbell’s under-18 outfit defeated Steven Naismith’s Hearts to secure a showpiece victory at Hampden, the first final to have taken place since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rangers were the brightest out of the blocks and had early chances through Robbie Ure and Wilson. Both chances inside the box looked like certain goals, but Hearts goalkeeper Liam McFarlane produced a couple of fine stops to deny the strikers.
Hearts then managed to edge their way into the game as Callum Sandilands tried his luck with a header inside the box, but ultimately the effort did not have enough to trouble Jack McConnell in the Gers net.
The solitary chance was soon cancelled out as Rangers finally took the lead on 36 minutes.
Midfielder McInally latched on to a loose ball from a Mackenzie Strachan corner before setting himself perfectly for a volley into the bottom left corner. It was a wonderfully taken goal under pressure inside the box.
The Ibrox outfit did not have long to wait before they doubled their advantage, and it was the impressive Wilson who grabbed the goal shortly before the interval.
Reports from England have suggested Premier League interest in the 16-year-old, and he showed his class as he arrowed a first-time volley into the back of the net from a Kevin Ciubotaru diagonal.
Chances were few and far between in the second period as Hearts attempted to haul themselves back into the cup contest, but they did reduce the deficit through substitute Murray Thomas.
The striker showed great determination on the edge of the box before rifling home into the far corner past McConnell.
James Wilson almost grabbed an equaliser late on but ultimately Hearts left it too late and Rangers retained the trophy that they won back in 2019.
The Ibrox youngsters will be hoping their victory paves the way for the first team to replicate the same result when the same teams meet in the Scottish Cup final next month.
ENDS
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