THERE is an old saying in football that you should never go back.

Illustrious names from the Light Blues' past like Jim Baxter and Trevor Steven both failed to reclaim the individual sparkle of their first silver-lined spells with the Ibrox side.

But former Gers skipper Ally Dawson has today backed second-time-around Ranger Stevie Smith to use his return to Ibrox to realise his full potential.

In his maiden spell, the stopper's form at one stage had suggested he would make the Gers left-back slot his own and offer a long-term solution to Scotland's defensive problems on the left flank.

Like Dawson, Smith was a teenager when he made the breakthrough to the Ibrox first team in that same position under Jock Wallace.

He provided a surge of satisfaction within the ranks of the red, white and blue legions, at the production of a home- grown talent who seemed to have all the defensive answers to a traditionally problematic position.

But again like Dawson – who suffered a fractured skull on a pre-season trip to Canada – injury disrupted Smith's career as his progress was bedevilled by a pelvic problem, just at it seemed set to blossom.

However, although horrific, injury did not force the ex- skipper to leave and regroup.

But now after becoming Gers' boss Ally McCoist's sixth summer signing and returning to his boyhood heroes, Dawson has tipped Smith to become a major player for Coisty and finally realise the sum of his parts.

Dawson said: "I think the big plus for Stevie Smith in coming back to Rangers is that at 27 he is now a mature player who has grown into his body and is approaching his peak years as a full-back.

"I remember when he first broke through at Ibrox and became established at left-back that I was very excited by his progress because I guess it had reminded me to a certain extent of when I came through back in the mid-Seventies.

"Stevie clearly had the talent to make the left-back position his own and his ability on the counter attack on over-lapping runs looked like it would be a huge plus for the club.

"But injury happens and when you play a lot of games as a young player you are always vulnerable to it.

"Stevie's problem's were groin-related and clearly now he is that bit more mature and has grown into his body these things have settled down.

"He played a lot of games with Portland Timbers and then Ally (McCoist) has had him in and looked at him training with Rangers over a few weeks at the end of last season.

"So the manager has done due diligence and clearly liked what he has seen and that is why Stevie has been signed."

Dawson added: "In many ways the injury I had was easier to come back from. Although a fractured skull is obviously serious, once you come back and you have headed the ball and come through you are fine.

"So I was lucky in that my injury did not stop me having 12 good years at Rangers and winning a few medals."

But Dawson, development manager with Street Soccer, believes that Smith's experience, garnered in big games like Champions League battles with Villarreal and League Cup finals, will make it easy for the flying full-back to cope with the expectation of his second spell in Light Blue.

He said: "Stevie knows what Rangers are all about having come through the ranks as a kid at Murray Park and then made it all the way through to the first team and played in the Champions League with the side.

"These are two hugely invaluable qualities he has in the locker for the club. Despite the fact he is only 27, he has accrued a huge amount of experience at the club, then gone away and found out what it was like elsewhere and now he is back and has a point to prove.

"Given how many youngsters there are at Rangers, all of that experience will be a great help to them."

With Gers returning to pre-season yesterday some brutal memories have come back to haunt the Gers hero.

Dawson recalled: "I saw the picture in the Evening Times with myself and a couple of players at Gullane and it brought the pain flooding back. Jock Wallace would save the trip for about a fortnight into pre-season and you knew that once you got through it the ball would come out.

"But the great thing about these pictures was that it sent a message out to the rest of the Scottish game that we were back and fit and ready to go.

"Invariably under big Jock we got off to a good start because of these torture sessions on the sand."