THE journey from Auchenhowie to Ibrox is one that many set out on but few complete. The route will be well used in the coming years, though.

Every kid that strides through the crested gates of Rangers’ training centre dreams of making a splash in the blue sea of Ibrox. It never becomes a reality for many, but more could now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It is that pathway that Craig Mulholland is trying to guide the next generation of Gers down as they attempt to make the transition from youth prospect to first team stalwart.

The Head of Academy could have hit the road but he is the driving force for a youth system that has undergone significant changes in recent years.

After previously turning down a position within the highly respected setup at Southampton, Mulholland was recently touted for a reunion with Mark Warburton at Nottingham Forest.

His focus is on Rangers, though. He will finish what he has started.

“It was news to me,” Mulholland said of the link to Forest.

“It was widely documented a couple of years ago that I was offered the Southampton Academy Director job and knocked it back.

“When you look at this club, the training ground, the opportunity for players to get into the first team, there is so much potential here.

“The project is only two years old and the energy, time and commitment that the staff are putting in to achieve something for Rangers is great and I am delighted to be here and be part of that. I am excited for the future and what we are doing here.”

The system at Auchenhowie has had its success stories but a new chapter is being written at present as Rangers look to produce their own stars of the future.

Partnerships with Coerver and Boclair Academy have been formed while a new games programme has been planned for players further up the age groups.

There has been fresh investment and new ideas. Now Mulholland hopes Rangers will reap the rewards.

“What we have done in the Academy, not just me but all the staff, is show innovation and we are trying to do things differently,” he said.

“I think that is being recognised. But ultimately what we are desperate for, and it will happen soon, I am convinced it will happen soon, is players in the first team.

“Once people see that the processes we have put in place have produced these outcomes then they will say ‘Rangers are leaders in that field’.

“As yet, we have not been able to do that but it will come soon and that excites us.”

The latest changes to the system were confirmed last week as Peter Lovenkrands, Andy Little, Stephen Wright and Brian Gilmour returned to the club as part of the ‘Rangers Performance Coaching Culture’ concept.

It has been an unfulfilling campaign for the Light Blues in the Premiership, but Mulholland is pleased with the progress that has been made in the youth ranks in recent months.

“I think it has been good and we have made so many strides forward,” he said.

“We are two years into the project now and when we started we had very clear targets in terms of what we wanted to achieve.

“We are probably getting to the bit now where the infrastructure that we need and the environment around the players we need is complete.

“If you look at the pathway from the bottom of the academy to the top, it gives us a much more challenging structure. Allied to the culture and philosophy that runs through the club, we are certainly heading in the right direction.”

The blueprint has been drawn up for some time but there are always tweaks to the plan as Rangers attempt to lay the foundations for a bright future.

The Gers have decided they won’t field a side in the Development League next term and will instead line up a series of matches with some of the top teams on the continent.

For Pedro Caixinha and his players, the pursuit of silverware is paramount. For the Under-20 squad, the experience means more than the medals.

“We want to take them to a level they haven’t been at before,” Mulholland said. “We will get some tough times next year and if we go and play Bayern or Leipzig, we know how difficult that will be.

“But we believe, as has happened by playing a younger team in the development league this year, they will adjust, get used to it and then the quality of player we see at Ibrox will be much higher than we have seen come through before.

“The players that we produce must be at the level where they can accept that level of expectation

“We have to win every week at this club and that is the grounding that we will give them.

“It is not about winning 5-0, 6-0, 7-0 at youth level, it is about saying to them ‘can you win against lads that are older than you? Or ‘can you win against top European teams or win in a tournament environment?’ That is all part of it.”

Winning may not be everything on the rise through the ranks but it is the be all and end all once they make the big breakthrough.

Myles Beerman and David Bates played their part towards the end of the campaign, while Jamie Barjonas made his debut against Partick Thistle and Aidan Wilson was handed his first start against Aberdeen at Ibrox.

No youth system could ever fully prepare them for life in the first team spotlight but Rangers are ticking as many boxes as possible to ease the transition.

“Donald McNaughton is our mental skills coach,” Mulholland said. “We have always trained in the technical, the tactical and the physical but if you are going to play at Ibrox in front of 50,000 fans then you need to be mentally strong as well.

“Donald’s contribution to the Academy has been massive, not just in terms of working directly with the players but working with the staff to create a mindset.

“We have clearly defined what our player characteristics look like and we know what mindset we want.

“Look at Aidan, just turned 18, playing in that environment against one of the best strikers in the Premiership this season. The fact that he was able to deal with it in a mental sense was massive for us.”

*Since 2002 Rangers Youth Development Company profits have been directed to Rangers Football Club’s youth programme - with more than £7 million provided in the last 15 years.

In January, they presented the Rangers Academy with a cheque for £175,000 and also recently launched their ‘£20k in 2017’ Rangers Lotto campaign.

Fans can continue to support RYDC in a variety of ways. Full details on their portfolio of products - Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards, Stadium Bricks and the Youth Members Club - can be found at www.rydc.co.uk.