BBC Sport broadcaster wowed by what Todd Cantwell did in Rangers win v St Mirren
Martin Dowden was wowed by the “exceptional” pass from Todd Cantwell that set up Abdallah Sima’s second goal as Rangers defeated St Mirren 2-0 on Sunday (3 December).
After being hooked in the first half of the Europa League draw against Aris Limassol last time out, Cantwell excelled in a more central ’10’ position at Ibrox, finishing with two assists and four key passes (SofaScore).
It was the second assist for Sima to kill off the game at Ibrox that really caught the eye of Dowden.
In quotes reported by BBC Sport (3 December), Dowden said: “Abdallah Sima has made the difference with his decisiveness in front of goal but key to that second goal was the vision of Todd Cantwell.
“His pass was exceptional, fully exploiting Sima’s pace. You wonder why Rangers don’t look for that more often. Cantwell in that area seems far more dangerous than out wide.”
A great response
There were some wondering whether Cantwell’s long-term future could be in doubt after he was hooked so early against Limassol and Philippe Clement had a big selection call to make at St Mirren.
Ultimately, the Belgian decided the playmaker deserved another crack. It was a big decision to make so soon after such a big flash point, but ultimately it was a justified one as Cantwell put in a superb performance as Rangers returned to winning ways following back-to-back draws.
Cantwell in this kind of form can be a crucial player for Rangers and Clement, and the boss will be hoping that he can really kick on now in the next few weeks as Rangers look to make a fist of it in the Premiership and bring home the Scottish League Cup.
This is, of course, only one performance but it is a good start and it was a fantastic reply by Cantwell after the personal disappointment he suffered only a few days ago. More of this sort of this please, Todd.
In other Rangers news, here are our player ratings from the victory over St Mirren.