Four Lads Had A Dream’s Stevie Clifford was far from impressed with Vaclav Cerny before his last-ditch assist in Rangers v Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday (6 August).
The 26-year-old loanee replaced Ross McCausland on the hour mark, being sent on with the hope of helping the Gers push for a much-needed equaliser after Andriy Yarmelenko’s first-half opener.
The forward, on loan from Wolfsburg, was not the most convincing substitution, but his cross in the fourth minute of added time was just the right ball for Cyriel Dessers to poke home for 1-1 at the death.
Speaking via The Rangers Review YouTube channel on Wednesday (7 August), Clifford said: “I thought he was honking. He kept giving the ball away and was very frustrating.
“I was thinking, ‘This guy is miles away from being up to speed. Why do we sign players who need about eight months to settle in?’. All these voices in your head go into overdrive and then, he produces. What I liked about that moment was that there was no thought process – get it down, touch, whip it in.”
Vaclav Cerny creates moment of magic in Rangers v Dynamo Kyiv
Given the current financial concerns at Ibrox, with Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen working with a shoestring budget, in addition to the redevelopment setbacks at Ibrox, Champions League qualification could not be any more important.
The new manager needs to prove himself by reaching the group stages of the European competition, and Cerny has certainly helped his case ahead of the second leg at Hampden Park on Tuesday 13 August.
Cerny has only scored five goals in 25 Wolfsburg appearances since arriving last summer but if his heroics against Dinamo Kyiv are to continue, there is no reason why those numbers could not soar this season.
Of course, having only just made the switch from the Bundesliga, the winger needs time to get up to speed and get used to life in Scotland, but the early signs are rather positive.
Fans will be hoping he can create something similar against Motherwell on Saturday 10 August before helping the Gers to overcome their Champions League opposition next week.
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