IN the dark clouds above Ibrox, Andy Little saw a silver lining. The off-field troubles that plagued Rangers gave the striker an opportunity on the park.

Little would lift the Third Division and League One titles as Ally McCoist’s side embarked on the road to recovery. In a nightmare scenario for the club, the Northern Irishman would live the dream.

In his seven years at Ibrox, Little experienced the highs and lows, and here he tells SportTimes about his three most memorable outings in Light Blue.

Rangers 3-2 Celtic

March 25, 2012

Ibrox

Scorers: Aluko, Little, Wallace

There is obviously one game that stands out and it was my first Old Firm goal at Ibrox.

It is a combination of factors that make this game special. On one hand, it didn’t mean much because it only prolonged the wait for Celtic to lift the title, but it did stop them winning it at Ibrox.

From our point of view, there would have been nothing worse than our biggest rivals winning the league on our home patch. That was the biggest thing, that we stopped that happening.

At the same time, there was the circus surrounding the club at that time and there was a lot of hype about that game. It wasn’t a good time for the club and it was tough for the players.

There was a lot of ill-feeling as well between Rangers fans and the rest of the clubs in Scotland, and Celtic played their part. They weren’t exactly helping Rangers out in difficult times.

The issues at the club had been going on for a few weeks before that and there was so much ill-feeling towards Rangers.

There was a sort of siege mentality amongst the players and staff, it was us against the rest.

But, on a personal note, it was a memorable day and an unbelievable feeling. My whole family came over and were in the stands and to come on and score with my first touch was just incredible.

It was nice to come out with the win and that game meant a lot to me for a number of reasons.

Brechin 1-2 Rangers aet

July 29, 2012

Glebe Park

Scorers: Little, McCulloch

I had only trained for two or three days before the game. I didn’t go back for the start of pre-season because I hadn’t agreed a deal.

I went into that game without a pre-season, I had been running myself around a pitch in Milngavie and doing my own training. I had spoken to other clubs because I wasn’t sure what was happening but I spoke to the manager and he told me how keen he was to have me.

That was the first game and four minutes in I got my goal. Thankfully we got through the tie in the end.

It was crazy to go from SPL games with 50,000 at Ibrox to a few thousand around a tight pitch at Brechin. It couldn’t have been more different and it was a frenzy just getting off the bus.

There were journalists from all over the world and it was crazy that people would go to a remote part of Scotland to see us in the Challenge Cup.

When you are in Glasgow, you only think of Rangers and Celtic and you go to Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, but you forget about the likes of Brechin, Peterhead, Elgin and the towns that we went to.

It was a big day for every town and I really enjoyed going to those places. There was a carnival atmosphere every Saturday and I enjoyed the smaller grounds. I loved every minute of it.

It went well for me because I was playing and scoring goals. It wasn’t a good time for the club but I loved it and it was that day at Brechin that kicked it all off.

Rangers 5-1 East Stirlingshire

August 18, 2012

Ibrox

Scorers: Little (3), Sandaza, McCulloch

I had waited so long to get my chance to play regularly at Rangers and it was always a dream to pick up a hat-trick ball at Ibrox. I got the players and the manager to sign it.

I have got two and I have kept them both. As a striker, to get a hat-trick for the club that you support was terrific.

We drew the opening game in the Third Division up at Peterhead and then we won 5-1 at Ibrox. It was obviously great to get my goals and the other thing that stands out from that day is the crowd.

The support that we got in the lower leagues was just unbelievable and I thrived on it. We were dominating the games and they were enjoyable to play in.

There is always pressure at Rangers but it was a nice pressure. We were expected to win every game and we normally did.

To play in front of that many people every week was surreal. There were moments you would forget about it and then something would happen in the game or you scored and you would hear the roar.

It was a fairy tale few years for me and I got a lot of appreciation from Rangers fans, not just back home in Northern Ireland but in Glasgow as well.

I think people appreciated the ones that stayed at the club. That is something that I am proud of and it made me love the club even more.