BILLY KIRKWOOD has urged his Rangers kids to put their Hampden heartache behind them after they missed out on Glasgow Cup glory last night.

The Light Blues went down 2-0 to Old Firm rivals Celtic at the National Stadium as strikes from Josh Kerr and Mark Hill clinched the win for Tommy McIntyre's side.

Keeper Robby McCrorie was at fault for both Hoops goals as he failed to gather a corner and Kerr finished from close range before a Hill free-kick from distance deceived him and found the net just seconds later.

They were the only two lapses in an otherwise impressive defensive performance from Rangers but a lack of cutting edge meant they rarely threatened at the other end.

McCrorie's brother Ross was one of the standout performers for the Gers at centre-back while Sam Jamieson and Jamie Barjonas came close to finding the target.

It was to prove a disappointing night for Rangers but boss Kirkwood knows they must learn from their mistakes and move on.

He said: "We had a couple of efforts at 0-0, Jamie had a great shot and the goalkeeper made a good save. If we had got the first goal it would have been totally different.

"It is a learning process for them. We said to them before the game that, win or lose, you need to learn from playing in the National Stadium in a cup final against Celtic.

"I think you learn more from the mistakes and us as coaches learn more about them as individuals and players.

"Unfortunately there was no crowd here and that was the disappointment for me. This is their chosen profession; they are learning how to play in front of a crowd and with an atmosphere.

"It is about how they develop and react. Hopefully we will get a positive reaction from the boys."