THE Rangers career of Ray Wilkins was short but it was also sweet and the Englishman is fondly remembered by supporters to this day.

Butch arrived at Ibrox after spells at Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain and proved his class as he collected two League Championships and a League Cup before he returned south of the border. Wilkins spoke exclusively to SportTimes in January last year as part of our 'Games of our lives' series and here we remember three of his finest outings in Light Blue.

Rangers 5-1 Celtic

August 27, 1988

Ibrox

Scorers: McCoist (2), Wilkins, Drinkell, Walters

My favourite game would be the Old Firm against Celtic when we beat them 5-1. They were always very difficult games and to be honest they didn’t always suit me because of the type of player that I was.

They were very aggressive games but you even had the likes of Paul McStay putting himself about and kicking people! I realised the importance of the game straight away.

Read more: Emerson Hyndman arrives in Scotland to become the first Rangers signing of the year

We had a really good team, Graeme and Walter had assembled a terrific squad and we were very good at that period. To come out on top with such a resounding victory was great and to score the goal was very special for me.

When you make clean contact with the ball, you never feel it come off the end of your boot and that was the case with that strike. As soon as I hit it, I knew I had struck it well and thankfully it ended up in the back of the net.

We worked extremely hard that day. We went a goal down and then came back. Celtic would have got a huge lift from going ahead but the noise at Ibrox that day was incredible and for it to end up 5-1 was very special indeed.

I tell everybody that they must get to an Old Firm game to experience it because it is something that is quite unique and an incredible atmosphere. That was something that really gave me a lift on the day and thankfully we delivered for the supporters.

Aberdeen 2-3 Rangers

October 23, 1988

Hampden

Scorers: McCoist (2), I Ferguson

It was nice to pick up a trophy at the National Stadium with the lads. It is always nice to play in a cup final with your mates and to get a medal at the end of it gives you something to cherish.

There were rows on the pitch during a season but when you have something to show for it all of that is forgotten. No matter what the competition is, you are in the game to win and that was a nice medal to get for me.

Read more: Emerson Hyndman arrives in Scotland to become the first Rangers signing of the year

We were all mates and we knew what it meant to each other and also to the club itself to be successful so it was a really good day for us.

If you look through that squad of players that we had, and when you factor in Graeme and Walter, the character in that group was quite phenomenal really. There were many occasions when Graeme and Walter didn’t have to do anything at half-time because by the time we were in we had sorted it out.

There were so many characters not afraid to voice an opinion and not afraid to upset people as well. Sometimes and somewhere along the line you have got to upset your mate but everyone knows it is for the right reasons.

I don’t see too much of it these days but it was certainly the case with that dressing room that we were always going to be successful because of the character of the players there. Aberdeen were always a tough team to play so it was a really big win for us that day.

When I came in I could see what Rangers were going to achieve in the years to come and to play my part in the early stages of that was fantastic.

We had good competition from some strong teams and it was very competitive but once we got going there weren’t many that could live with us.

Rangers 3-0 Dunfermline

November 25, 1989

Ibrox

Scorers: Johnston, Butcher, McCoist

This was my last game for Rangers and I got a very warm reception from the supporters at Ibrox. It is still something that I can remember to this day and it was a very special moment for me.

It meant so much for me to play with Rangers and the fans were great with me while I was at the club. It is a magnificent football club and hopefully things continue to improve at Ibrox and Rangers get back to where they want to be as quickly as possible.

Read more: Emerson Hyndman arrives in Scotland to become the first Rangers signing of the year

I got a wonderful reception from the supporters that day against Dunfermline. It was November when I left and went back to England. Graeme and Mr Murray offered me a new contract and they wanted me to stay.

But I saw the likes of Durranty, Ian Ferguson, Derek Ferguson and I didn’t want to end such a wonderful experience getting splinters on my backside on a bench. So I decided to sign for Queens Park Rangers.

My time at Ibrox will always stick in my mind, though, and when I go back to Scotland I always get a nice reception from the Rangers fans. They are real football people and I was one of the lucky guys that got a chance to do something positive and help the club along the way.