A major Rangers development has emerged regarding their B team at Ibrox ahead of the 2022/23 campaign...
What's the talk?
The Daily Record have confirmed, via an official statement, that the Gers' reserve team will remain in the Lowland League for at least another season. Of the other 15 teams in the division, 11 voted to keep the Ibrox giants and their Parkhead rivals in it for another year.
They will not be allowed to be promoted or relegated from the fifth tier of Scottish football, which means that their participation is not preventing any teams from moving up or down the pyramid.
Buzzing
Gio van Bronckhorst will surely be buzzing with this news, as it is a huge boost to the club's academy setup ahead of next season.
It allows the young prospects at Ibrox to play regular football at senior level without going out on loan. This means that the Gers can closely monitor their development and pick and choose when they are ready to make the step up to the Dutchman's squad.
Instead of playing against other youth sides and not knowing how they can deal with the physicality of men's football, playing in the fifth tier gives Rangers a broader perspective on their young players' talents.
Speaking about the benefits, Ross Wilson previously said: “We want to test our players in different scenarios. Playing in the Lowland League would provide a completely different test for the young players, as well as our best-v-best games programme that we would continue to operate against some of the best teams in Europe."
The sporting director also spoke about the need for the B Team to play in the division prior to the approval. He said: “We haven’t really seen any progress at all on some of the things that we think are to the betterment of Scottish football and player development in particular. Those things are steeped in data and research, not just something we have plucked out of thin air. They are concepts that have worked in other countries."
Teenage striker Tony Weston is currently the second-top scorer in the league with 21 goals, six behind The Spartans forward Blair Henderson. Alex Lowry, who found the back of the net for Van Bronckhorst's team in the Scottish Cup, has also scored seven goals in the Lowland League, which suggests that he has reaped the rewards of playing senior football.
Lowry is one player who has already benefited from playing in the fifth tier and hopefully he will be the first of many to do so. This is why the Dutch head coach will be delighted that his academy prospects will be playing in the division for another year.
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