Ally : Kane Hemmings missed chances but he could net goals next week

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With 355 goals from 581 first- team appearances, he is, by some considerable distance, the leading scorer in the Ibrox club's 141-year history.

 

Next best is Bob McPhail who, with 261 to his name, is still way behind. In the modern era, only Derek Johnstone, who netted 210 times, comes anywhere close.

 

But McCoist's intimidating strike-rate in the 15 years he was a player at the Glasgow club does not mean he was averse to the odd off-day. Far from it in fact.

 

Even he went through hugely frustrating fallow spells, at the start of his tenure at his boyhood heroes in the mid-1980s especially, when he struggled to hit the target.

 

Subjected to dog's abuse from his own fans, booed off the field, dropped by his manager due to poor form; Super Ally experienced it all in his time in a Light Blue jersey.

 

So he knows exactly how Kane Hemmings, the young striker who started his first ever game for Rangers on Saturday, is feeling at this precise moment in time.

 

The 20-year-old was given the nod to play up front by himself in the Irn-Bru Third Division match against Stirling Albion at the weekend.

 

His selection made perfect sense. Top scorer Andy Little was away on international duty with Northern Ireland and Lee McCulloch had been moved back to strengthen a porous defence.

 

The English lad, too, had looked bright during a short loan spell at Cowdenbeath earlier this year and had scored four goals in seven appearances in the First Division.

 

However, he squandered three gilt-edged scoring chances against Stirling as his team slumped to another deeply disappointing result at home.

 

The 0-0 draw was not as wretched as the 2-1 defeat to tiny Annan had been a fortnight earlier. But it was not far off it and the Gers supporters did nothing to mask their displeasure.

 

Yet, McCoist is confident Hemmings will recover from the experience quickly and would not be surprised to see him netting against Montrose at Links Park this weekend if he is selected.

 

"Kane is disappointed because he had a couple of chances to score and make a bit of a name for himself and he didn't take them," he said.

 

 

 

 

 

"But, listen, I have been there myself 100 times. He will not receive any criticism from me for his performance against Stirling.

 

"I think he is the type of centre forward who will snatch at a couple one week â?? and will then go out and score three or four goals the next week.

 

"That is fine. What is important is that he keeps going, continues to work on his finishing and doesn't let his head go down.

 

"I would have probably been more disappointed if he hadn't managed to get himself into those scoring positions.

 

"We created one or two scoring chances at the weekend. Kane will be disappointed not to have taken them. But we won't dwell on it at all and neither should he."

 

Hemmings was one of several Murray Park graduates who started for Rangers against Stirling Albion due to a series of injuries and suspensions.

 

Senior players like Ian Black, Little, Ross Perry, Francisco Sandaza, Dean Shiels and David Templeton were all absent from the line-up for a variety of reasons.

 

Elsewhere, Lewis Macleod, arguably the brightest of the young prospects to burst onto the scene at Rangers in the 2012/13 campaign, is recovering from knee ligament damage.

 

So, while disappointed not to win the game, McCoist believes there were mitigating circumstances behind the result which must be taken into account.

 

"I am actually a lot better than I have been in the last couple of weeks because I played a totally inexperienced team at the weekend," he revealed.

 

Despite the draw â?? the third time in five Third Division games that Rangers had failed to win â?? they still moved 21 points clear at the top of the league table.

 

If they win against Montrose away this Saturday and Queen's Park draw or lose to Elgin City at Hampden they will be crowned champions.

 

Alternatively, if they draw and the second-placed side in the division lose at home they will not be able to be caught.

 

McCoist feels the experience of being part of the title run-in, and of enduring criticism for poor performances, will be invaluable to his young charges in the long run.

 

He stated: "I said to the young boys at the end of the game: 'You can go on loan here, you can go on loan there, you can go on loan anywhere you want, but there is no substitute for going out there at Ibrox and finding out what football is all about in front of 30,000 or 40,00 fans'.

 

"That is where they will grow up. It may be difficult at the time but, in the long run, it's massive for them."