ENTERING play to make his debut Alex Lowry looked as though he’d done this before.
The youngster nonchalantly strolled into a game that required invention and a rise in tempo. There were no rash touches or moments where he appeared to be a wavelength below his teammates, more pertinently there were few safe passes or cases of responsibility discarded.
“When I was sitting on the bench I was talking to Calvin Bassey just saying, this is crazy it just looks so daunting”, he said post-match, speaking with an ease that was reflected throughout his performance.
“And then as I went onto the pitch, I started to relax and play my own game.”
Lowry, a creative and elegant midfielder who has amassed quite the reputation playing for the Rangers B team, approached the tie as if within his normal environment. He demanded the ball, trusted his technique and played as a No.10 should during a possession-dominant game.
His goal aside, the 18-year-old attempted six dribbles, made six passes into the penalty box, received 41 passes, touched the ball three times in the opposing penalty area and made three interceptions.
Early on he showed intelligence to ‘dismark’ himself in condensed spaces, always offering an avenue forward.
His speed of thought in areas of advantage showed with a couple of clever reverses throughout. Understanding the premium value of space when breaking down defences.
His assumption of responsibility was confirmed just after the half-hour mark when, benefitting from a rare sight of open space, Rangers capitalised on their first transitional opportunity.
As Juninho Bacuna intercepts a pass, Lowry immediately scans in both directions to formulate a picture of his surroundings. With an opponent recovering to his left the midfielder bursts to the right, approaching the Albion defence he fakes to commit the defender before side-stepping and finding Bacuna.
When asked about the importance of composure in these scenarios by The Rangers Review Lowry was quick to reaffirm that although nerves on the bench did flare, the daunting nature of the evening fazed after a few passes. “I’m a relaxed kind of guy” he said with a man of the match award supporting his statement.
His finish upon receiving the ball from Bacuna not only exuded calm but demonstrated real skill as he passed the ball goalwards. Notice how Lowry approaches the ball to strike through it, prompting Blair Currie in the Albion goal to shuttle three steps to his right which coincidently creates the necessary room to finish back across the goal.
His celebration communicated a self-expectation. There was no running to point to a box where his family watched on, no evident first celebration naivety usually etched onto a debutant’s face. Lowry reacted as he played; with a cool confidence that he was right at home in this eleven.
"You could see he was enjoying his game," commented Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
💙 A moment to remember for @Alexlowry101 at Ibrox.pic.twitter.com/rayia1jP6B
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 21, 2022
Playing more intentionally to the right side as part of a three-man rotation with James Tavernier and Brandon Barker post-break, Lowry’s influence grew with his touches - breaking defensive lines with clever reverses.
His preference was clearly moving towards the ball instead of spinning behind. Displaying a good understanding of finding the third man in situations as above, playing a pass ahead and facilitating play with his back to goal, constant glances over each shoulder allowed him to always play with an overview.
As the hosts added a third Lowry managed to retain possession although swarmed by three opponents, protecting the ball with enough aggression to return play into John Lundstram.
There was a slight lacking at times in his efforts to regain the ball and the youngster will clearly forge a career dominating with technique rather than pace or physicality. That again speaks to his comfort however, without the running for running sakes and over-exuberance he could produce his best football. In the cauldron Ibrox can be at times, an air of aloofness on the ball is no bad quality to have.
Lowry concluded that yesterday was a dream come true, as any youth player appearing for the first time would. Everything suggests it will be the first of many in Rangers blue.
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