Billy Gilmour sends message to Rangers star after draw v Athletic Bilbao
Liam Kelly was the hero for Rangers on Thursday after saving a penalty that saw his side draw 0-0 with Athletic Bilbao.
Barry Ferguson made a bold call to drop the out-of-form Jack Butland to bring Kelly in for his first European start.
Robin Propper’s sending-off in the opening 15 minutes of the game put the odds in their opponents’ favour but Kelly stepped up to keep his side in the tie.
Billy Gilmour sends Kelly a message
The Europa League is the only thing left to play for at Ibrox this term, putting plenty of pressure on the Light Blues to deliver.
However, the Gers’ recent form at Ibrox left plenty of doubts over whether they would be able to perform on home turf.
As a result, Ferguson was forced to make some big calls including swapping his number one with the second-choice goalkeeper.
Butland’s recent form led to calls for him to be dropped although others’ argued that Ferguson would be better to stick with experience for such a big game.
Propper’s red card certainly added to his side’s woes and Ferguson would no doubt have been questioning whether he had made the right move at the back of the pitch.
Nevertheless, Kelly put any worries to bed with a strong performance and a penalty save which means the Bears go into the away leg at 0-0.
The goalkeeper posted about the game on Instagram and Billy Gilmour was keen to send his praise to him as he commented saying: “Kells” alongside an applauding emoji.
Kelly ready to take Butland’s place
Butland has been the number one choice between the sticks since his arrival at Ibrox in 2023 highlighting just how big of a decision this was for the interim boss to make.
When called upon, Kelly certainly showed Ferguson that he made the right decision confidently performing for his side on the biggest stage.
| Kelly vs Athletic Bilbao | |
| Rating | 9.2 |
| Saves | 3 |
| Penalty Saves | 1 |
Although the manager will be keen to rest some players as his side returns to Scottish Premiership action against Aberdeen on Sunday (13 April), Kelly may well be given the chance to prove himself again.
If the 29-year-old puts in another solid display, it will surely boost his confidence again going into the away leg which will be the game of Rangers’ season so far.
Ferguson is unlikely to stay on as boss when the 49ers Enterprises complete their takeover and look towards next season meaning he has the opportunity to take these risks and give out opportunities to those deserving.
Kelly can certainly see this as his audition from now until the end of the season and there is no reason why he can’t be the immediate future for Rangers’ at the back of the pitch.