Rangers legends Mark Hateley and Colin Hendry help Cambuslang raises thousands on 125th anniversary

Cambuslang Rangers boss Paul McColl praised Rangers hero Mark Hateley after a benefit game raised “two or three grand” for the Lanarkshire club on their 125th anniversary.

Hateley was in the dug-out with a Rangers Legends side that defeated a Cambuslang Rangers XI 7-4 at Somervell Park on Saturday, and McColl says the former England striker couldn’t have been better with fans.

McColl, who jetted on holiday to Turkey shortly after the game, says it was a perfect day with scorching weather adding to the gate. He said: “The day went well, bit of a stressful day for me because I was going on holiday as well, but it went really well, good amount of fans, a decent enough game.

“Rangers ended up winning 7-4, but it was a good day out, a lot of old pals there, a couple of Rangers players, big Mark Hateley and that, and he was brilliant.

“Big Hateley was good with the kids, nothing was any bother for him, signing autographs, posing for photos, and it wasn’t a problem for him. He’s good big guy and he did us a turn, so that was good.

“Big Colin Hendry, Ian Black, Jordan McMillan, and a few ex-players for Camby, so it was good. It was a decent crowd, we did all right out of it, got some money, which was helpful.

“We haven’t counted it yet, but it will be a few grand anyway. Once we’ve paid for the guys who were playing that costs you a wee bit, but we’ll make some money from it. Two or three grand is better than none, so it’s a good help.

“It was a good day, it was roasting, there was a good wee crowd, and people wanted to get a drink at the beer garden. They want to have a nice day out, watch the football and then enjoy themselves after it, so it was good. All the players were good, nobody got injured, so it was good.”

Former Cambuslang Rangers co-boss Billy Campbell assisted on dug-out duties, and McColl wanted to thank Davie Kerr, who helped him to organise the day.

McColl said: “We got a lot of help, big Davie Kerr organised the day with me, so big thanks to him.

“Billy was back helping out, I’m not sure if he would be able to come back and help us out, because he’s pretty busy with his job and flies all over the place, which is why he left in the first place. Maybe something will come out of it, but I don’t know. It was good that he was there.”

Meanwhile, Cambuslang Rangers have pre-season games lined up, against near-neighbours Rutherglen Glencairn in the William Skinner Memorial Cup on July 10, and Glenafton and one other have been pencilled in, while McColl hopes for at least four.

He said: “We’ve got Glencairn, Glenafton and we’ll probably get four. They’re all away, and we’re looking forward to that. We’ve got a few players lined up, Carols Lang and Godson Nechi have signed, and there are five or six, maybe seven, who have signed from last season, so we have a good few boys there.”

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