THEIR inclusion in the Rangers first team has been due as much to the extraordinary circumstances at the Ibrox club as their own ability.

Youngsters such as Fraser Aird, Robbie Crawford, Chris Hegarty, Barrie McKay, Lewis Macleod, Kal Naismith and others have all done superbly this season.

Yet, would they have been involved with Ally McCoist's side – at all never mind as much – had it not been for off-field events? It is highly doubtful.

McCoist had no choice but to put his faith in the kids who remained at Rangers after a raft of senior players left the club for nothing last summer.

He brought in established professionals such as Ian Black, Kevin Kyle, Francisco Sandaza, Dean Shiels and David Templeton.

A smattering of foreigners also arrived in the shape of Anestis Argyriou, Emilson Cribari, Sebastien Faure and Francesco Stella. And the likes of Neil Alexander, Andy Little, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace all remained loyal to the 54-times Scottish champions.

But McCoist still had to complement those with the most promising talents emerging from the youth ranks at Murray Park when the new season got underway.

As suspensions and injuries were accumulated during the course of the 2012-13 campaign, the number of kids involved increased greatly.

Rangers have been unable to bring in any players this term due to a 12-month signing ban imposed by the SFA for non-payment of taxes during the Craig Whyte regime.

That, of course, will soon change. The Irn-Bru Third Division champions will be able to bring in free agents this summer and register them on September 1.

Cammy Bell, Andre Bikey, Nicky Clark, Murray Davidson, Jon Daly, Nicky Law and Nacho Novo have all been linked with moves to Ibrox. McCoist will also be able to spend money on targets for the first time in 16 months – since they snapped up Templeton from Hearts for £450,000 – come January.

It has been reported there is £10million in the bank to spend on new players after a successful share offering at the end of last year raised £22m for the club.

However, it remains to be seen if that figure is correct following the resignation of Charles Green as chief executive and departure of commercial director Imran Ahmad.

No matter who comes in, it is highly likely the Light Blues starting line-up will be far more experienced than it has been at certain times this season.

But Robbie Crawford believes the bright performances of the Rangers kids in

recent months will have given the manager some serious food for thought. And the 20-year-old forward is confident that many of them will be involved prominently in the quest to win the Second Division title.

He said: "I am sure the manager will be looking to strengthen his squad during the summer and it will be good to see new players coming in to the club.

"There is talk of Nacho Novo coming back.

"That would be a great signing as he is obviously passionate about the club and is much loved by the fans.

"But I am sure that the young lads will still play their fair share of games next season. We have gained a great deal of experience this term and can use that to our advantage.

"I think we have taken advantage of the circum- stances at the club this season and have improved as players as a result of our involvement with the team.

"In the last few weeks, Andy (Mitchell), Luca (Gasparotto) and Daniel (Stoney) have all come into the first team and played really well for us.

"I think everyone has shown that we merit our places in the squad.

"The young players have done well in the team and have inspired others to perform as well."

The SFL limit the number of players over the age of 21 that a club can register with them during the course of a season to 22.

Rangers will, then, require to offload certain individuals in the weeks ahead as well as bring in new faces as they prepare for the new campaign.

Crawford believes whoever arrives will help to ensure the continued development of the Rangers kids.

He said: "The experienced players are a big help to us. The more of them the better."