Danny Rohl's 24-hour Rangers message that created 'dream' moment for Ibrox starlet amid end of season dead-rubber
Teenage prospect eager to build on first-team debut and catch Danny Rohl’s eye after whirlwind 24 hours
From captaining Rangers’ Under-19 squad to the CAS Elite League title on Friday afternoon to making his first-team debut in the 5-2 Premiership win over Falkirk on Saturday - it has been a whirlwind 24 hours for Aiden McCallion.
Amid the trophy celebrations, the 17-year-old midfielder learned of his inclusion in head coach Danny Rohl’s first-team squad for their end of season dead-rubber. With little at stake for both teams, McCallion was introduced alongside fellow Ibrox youth prospects Zebedee Lawson and Ashton Scally during the latter stages of Rangers’ final league outing of a largely forgettable season.
While Rohl’s side have had little to celebrate in the way of silverware this season, it has been a contrasting story for McCallion as he capped off a memorable end to the campaign by earning a first senior appearance for his boyhood club.
“It's probably been a dream 24 hours,” McCallion reflected post-match after coming on for goal scorer Thelo Aasgaard to help see out the final ten minutes at Falkirk. “We lifted the league (on Friday) in the last minute when we were scored against St Mirren. Obviously, captaining the boys to the title was a really big thing for us this year and then moving on to today, it's a dream for me to play for Rangers. I've been here since I was seven so I really buzzing to get on.
“I found out straight after my game on Friday. We were celebrating and then David McCallum told me I'd be in the squad, so I was just hoping that I'd get my chance.”
It’s not the first time McCallion has been involved in Rangers’ senior set-up. He featured in several Europa League squads under Rohl earlier in the campaign and also trained regularly with the squad during Barry Ferguson’s interim spell in charge and then under Russell Martin last summer.
“I gained a lot of good experience last year,” McCallion admitted. “I was around the team when Barry was the manager, obviously learning from all the pros and watching them, seeing how they train and how they go about their daily routine. I then had an injury, which was obviously a different kind of challenge but I dealt with that well and I'm just happy to be back now playing.
“I think we've all got the belief (we can make the step up). Quite a few of us have been out there training often with the first-team, so that definitely gives us a wee bit of belief that you can go and do it. It’s now about trying to get yourself in the picture at pre-season and just work as hard as you can and try to impress.”
Determined to catch Rohl’s eye heading into next season, the teenage prospect declared he is soaking up vital experience as he revealed what instructions the German boss had for him before taking to the pitch.
“He just told us to go and work hard,” McCallion said. “You've obviously earned your chance through training, so he just said, 'Work hard, go and enjoy yourself on the pitch.' He does talk to us when we're around training and stuff. He knew that we won the league on Friday as well, so he's obviously keeping an eye on the younger boys in the squad.”
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