Rangers Academy defender James Maxwell spent last season on loan at Championship side Queen of the South as a host of young Gers headed out for first-team experience – and the highly-rated full-back wants to push on and challenge for a place in the first-team squad at Ibrox and win a new contract.
Maxwell has impressed in the B and Academy teams at Ibrox in recent seasons but his stint at Palmerston was his first taste of regular first-team football, and he admits he “couldn’t really have asked for more.”
His stint in the Championship saw him regularly catch the eye for the Doonhamers and the former Falkirk youth was full of praise for the Dumfries side after returing to Rangers, telling RYDC: “I’d gone to Queen of the South with the hope of playing lots of games and playing regularly and I really enjoyed my time there.
“I showed people what I could do and all the staff and players were really good with me. Thanks to everyone at the club for making me feel so welcome.
“I couldn’t really have asked for more from my first loan spell away from Rangers. I played over 30 games, scored five goals – and a few were on the television too which was good – and made some assists too so it was great exposure.”
First-team exposure a massive benefit for Rangers kid
Maxwell went to Palmerston having played for Rangers’ Academy and B team in the club’s Games Programme, the Challenge Cup and the UEFA Youth League, facing the likes of Leicester City’s under-23s, Atletico Madrid youth side and first-teams from Wrexham and Solihull Moors.
He thinks that is something that really helped prepare him for the step up to Championship level but admits that he needed the additional challenge of playing competitive senior football to continue his development.
Playing competitive first-team football has allowed him to become a better defender and Maxwell had praise for the management duo of ex-Gers Sandy Clark and Allan Johnston for the way they’ve pointed him in the right direction, adding: “The ‘B’ team games and Academy games at Rangers give you a really good grounding and I was ready and well prepared to play competitive football for Queen of the South.
“I knew I needed this challenge so to get the experience of playing competitive men’s football every week where every game means something was really good for me.
“I learned a lot there. I made a few mistakes but I learned from them and there is not much difference between the Championship and middle/lower end of the Premier League. You saw that when Dundee beat Kilmarnock in the play-off final recently.
“There wasn’t an easy game. Every game brought a different challenge but I have learned so much.
“I have been playing left-back for a couple of seasons now and I feel my defending has improved as a result of this loan. You are playing against good players – like Martin Boyle at Hibs. Some really top players who can cause teams problems so it was good to play against them and I thought I did well.
“All the players were really good with me and the management team – Allan Johnston and Sandy Clark – understood after a couple of days what I was all about and what I could do.
“They gave me great advice and gave me the chance to play. They knew I was young and still developing so I could make some mistakes. When I did, they were really encouraging and were so good at giving me wee pointers and tips.
“They treated me as one of the Queen of the South players even though I was on loan and that was brilliant.
Rangers Academy journey has been ‘pretty amazing’
Maxwell returned to Rangers this summer and will be hoping he can get the chance to impress as part of the first-team squad.
With only a year left on his Ibrox contract, the defender wants to continue the “amazing” journey he’s had at Rangers and insists he’ll put everything into proving he deserves to extend his stay.
“I will come back to Rangers for pre-season training and see what happens now. I have trained with the first-team in the past and enjoyed the experience,” Maxwell insisted.
“At Queen of the South I felt a proper part of the first-team and I would love to replicate that at Rangers.
“My Rangers Academy journey has been pretty amazing to be honest. I can’t speak highly enough of the work that they do and I know they are helped by Rangers Youth Development Company donations.
“The academy looks after players so well and the staff always work as hard as they can to develop players.
“Going out on loan was the next step in my journey and I made sure the Queen of the South staff knew how much I appreciated the opportunity. It has given me a really solid foundation to go and crack on now.
“I have another year left on my Rangers contract and I will give it my all and see where it takes me.”
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