Teenage goalkeeper Mason Munn was given his first team debut by Philippe Clement as Rangers defeated Fraserburgh 5-0 in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup at the weekend.
The 18-year-old from Donaghadee, who signed a new four-year deal with the Glasgow outfit last summer, admitted it was a proud occasion for himself and his family.
Speaking to Rangers TV, the Northern Ireland youth international said: “It was an amazing moment for me and my family who were here to witness it. For all the things they have done for me, I just want to give a special mention to them."
“I am proud of myself that I have made my debut,” he added. “The manager has shown trust in me, which is amazing, so it is an endless thank-you to him for that. It was a good day, there are definitely things to improve on, but I am still learning. I am only 18.”
Rangers boss Clement also gave Ross McCausland his first start since October and the 21-year-old repaid his manager’s faith in him with a goal, his third of the season.
Elsewhere in the Scottish Cup, there were quite a number of Northern Ireland players getting their names on the scoresheet.
Striker Makenzie Kirk scored the only goal of the game as St Johnstone progressed to the fifth round after disposing of fellow Premiership side Motherwell and Caolan Boyd-Munce hit a third goal for St Mirren in added time as they won 3-1 at Queen of the South.
Former Cliftonville striker Ben Wilson scored his ninth of the campaign as Airdrie went into the hat for Monday’s fifth round draw following an emphatic 5-1 demolition of Dumbarton.
Also through to the next stage of the competition are Dunfermline Athletic who had former U21 international Lewis McCann among their scorers in a 3-0 win at home to Stenhousemuir, however Ronan Hale’s ninth goal this season was not enough to prevent Ross County from going down to a shock 3-2 home defeat to Championship side Livingston.
Meanwhile, in England, Brodie Spencer’s third goal in seven games earned Huddersfield Town, who had new signing Dion Charles making his debut, a point in their 2-2 draw at Blackpool in League One.
On-loan striker Dale Taylor came off the bench to score his sixth of the season as Wigan Athletic defeated Stevenage 2-1 at the Lamex Stadium, while 19-year-old Bayley McCann, who is on loan at Peterborough Sports from Barnsley, helped the National League North outfit to a 3-1 success at Buxton.
There was a debut on Saturday for Burton Albion on-loan midfielder JJ McKiernan in their 1-1 draw at Crawley Town and Corry Evans also made his first appearance for National League side Oldham Athletic, though his debut was cut short when he was replaced at half-time due to a calf strain.
In the Women’s Championship, Rachel Furness marked her return from injury by hitting a 91st minute equaliser as Newcastle United drew 1-1 at Sheffield United, and Ellie Mason also found the net as Birmingham City maintained their place at the top of the table with a hard-fought 3-1 victory at lowly Portsmouth.
Speaking after Birmingham's win at Westleigh Park, Northern Ireland skipper Simone Magill said: “It was never going to be easy as it was our first game of the year, while Portsmouth had an impressive FA Cup win in midweek against Blackburn.
“This league is very tight, very competitive, so three points is massive and now we just have to keep focused and go again next week.
“I’m especially delighted that Ellie got on the scoresheet today. She has worked really hard to get herself back in the starting 11 and to get her reward with a goal today is brilliant and I’m really happy for her.”
Finally, in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, Lauren Wade scored twice for Hearts in a 6-0 victory over Montrose, while there were debuts for Aberdeen’s two new signings, Toni-Leigh Finnegan and Kerry Beattie (on loan from Hearts), in their 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat at Hibernian.
