The Ibrox 'rarity' that led Queen's Park star to recall memory 'I'll never forget' ahead of Rangers Scottish Cup return
Queen’s Park goalkeeper Calum Ferrie will return to Ibrox on Sunday for the first time since making his professional debut back in 2018
The prospect of returning to the ground where your professional career began in front of almost 40,000 spectators is one that Calum Ferrie is certainly looking forward to as Queen’s Park visit Ibrox on Scottish Cup duty this weekend.
The English goalkeeper came off the bench aged 19 for former club Dundee late in the game to replace injured Elliot Parish back in April 2018 in a 4-0 Premiership defeat against Rangers.
Ferrie went on to have productive loan spells at Stirling Albion and Falkirk to gain more first-team experience before joining the Spiders three-and-a-half years ago. Ahead of the Championship side’s fifth round tie against Philippe Clement’s Gers on Sunday, he recalled the momentous occasion with fond memories.
“It was really exciting, the 26-year-old stopper explained. “I was 19 years old at the time. I was on the bench and the goalie broke his nose after about 75 minutes. We were 3-0 down already and then it finished 4-0 in the end. So it wasn’t too bad a debut for a young goalie. I’ll take that.
“It’s one to remember for sure, in front of about 40,000 people. Hopefully we can get a better result than it was that day. It’s a bit of a rarity (a substitute keeper coming on) isn’t it? As a young goalkeeper, you’re looking for that opportunity, we know how hard it can be to break through.
“You know you can’t get five minutes off the bench to impress the gaffer a lot of the time. Autopilot takes over. You just go ‘right, this is what I’ve been training for, for the last 15 years of my life,’ or whatever it was.
“There was a little bit of numbness, and you go out and play football and enjoy it, which is why we all do this, for the love of it. So that’s the biggest takeaway for me. It was a brilliant day for me and my family, and it’s one that I’ll never forget. I’ve not been back to Ibrox since, so I’m really excited to go back and play at that stadium.”
Ferrie reckons a youthful Queen’s Park side have a strong chance of upsetting the odds against Rangers after progressing to the SPFL Trust Trophy Final less than a fortnight ago - the club’s first cup final in 125 years.
He added: “We’re all thinking that they’re not invincible. No football team is invincible in this country, in any country, and we can cause them problems if we play our best. And for the lads, I’ll say to them as well, it’s an opportunity to go and potentially change their careers.
“It’s a game on TV against a massive team in Scotland. They go there and play well, who knows where that can lead? For them and the club.”