Liam Kelly justified his manager's decision to select him for Jack Butland completely – save a late fine to keep Athletic Bilbao remotely on a dramatic evening of Europa League promotion at Ibrox.
Forced to play 77 minutes, a man slightly after the resignation of Robin Propper, refused to admit Barry Ferguson's side, even when Dujon Sterling's injury saw them finish the first stage of this quarterfinals with nine men.
And a heroic effort was illustrated by Kelly who saved the Alex Berenguer penalty in the 79th minute a few moments after the replacement thought he had opened the score in a bizarre playing period that his efforts initially made his efforts, and then excluded for the Body Courte then a place Kick.
After the 0-0 draw, Kelly said: 'I never really had much to do in the game. Once we went to 10 men, the boys were absolutely brilliant to me.
'We didn't really know what happened [after Bilbao scored] And then you suddenly hear 'punishment'. I just wanted to help the team, I don't really care. '
In the meantime, Ferguson was adamant that Butland still has a future in the club, even though he fell to Kelly's favor.
“It was one of the most difficult things I had to do,” he emphasized.
“First of all, I think Jack Butland is a chief man. Secondly, I have a very, very good relationship with Jack.
“I've known Jack for a long time. He was a young child who came through Birmingham when I went down to play for Birmingham in the Premier League.
“Thirdly, I have to know that the jacket hurts and I have to take that into account. Because I give for him.
“I just had to make a decision and it was a difficult decision when I spoke with him. I could see it hurt.
'It is not one that I decided on Saturday evening or Sunday. I have thought about it for a long and hard. When I spoke to him, it was a difficult conversation of 10-15 minutes.
'But listen, Jack still has a major role to play here. In terms of Liam who came in, I thought he was doing well tonight. '
Although Ferguson knows that the Basques will be depicted to complete the job next Thursday at home, he believes that the spirit that showed his side should feed a conviction that they can continue to the semi -final.
“I am really proud of the effort and the dedication that my players showed,” he said.
'It's hard if you go to 10 men. 'They had a few chances like everyone will have very good team against you, but I thought we defended very well.
“We are still in the draw. The draw is for us to go inside and try to move on to the semi -final. '
Ferguson received the reaction he wanted after the weekend loss against Hibs, but stressed standards could not be allowed to slide.
“Yes, I'm not happy with one game,” he added. 'I am happy for them and I am proud of them.
'Standing on the touchline was a completely different feeling that I had on Saturday. I felt empty on Saturday. But there was on the side, I was proud. '
Ferguson said he had no problem with the decision to show Propper a red card. “I can see the reason why the referee gave the red card,” he said.
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