Glasgow Rangers missed out on a place in the final as they were narrowly beaten by their Old Firm rivals.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
Mark Warburton has insisted that it was not a risk picking Matt Gilks in goal for Rangers’ Scottish League Cup semi-final clash with Celtic, The Scottish Sun reports.
The 34-year-old has played the majority of the cup games since moving to Ibrox, but is yet to make his Scottish Premiership debut as Wes Foderingham has kept his place between the sticks.
Rangers’ Matthew Gilks gathers from Celtic’s Kieran Tierney
Despite his place in the pecking order however, Warburton decided to stick with Gilks for the HampdenPark showdown against their Old Firm foes.
And despite making a number of saves, Gilks’ most notable contribution of the afternoon came when he had to pick the ball out of his net following Moussa Dembele’s late winner.
Nevertheless, Warburton has claimed that it was not a gamble to pick Gilks for the contest.
Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths shakes hands with Rangers’ Matthew Gilks after the game
“It was no risk at all, look at his CV,” he said, as reported by The Scottish Sun.
“He has an outstanding CV and is an outstanding professional.
“He’s played at the highest level so there is no risk involved there.”
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
Though the former Blackpool stopper justified his selection with a predominantly fine display, some Gers fans may have questioned whether he should have been in the starting line-up.
Foderingham’s position as the side’s keeper in the top flight surely means that he must be considered the first choice. And a semi-final against their main rivals is surely the kind of game that should have perhaps prompted Warburton to make an exception to his usual selection policy.
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