TEARS FOR SOUVENIRS

Ryan's been crying in the cups since signing for Rangers with just one stairway to heaven in 10 attempts but he is hellbent on righting Hampden record

- ANDY NEWPORT

RYAN JACK turns 31 the day after next month's League Cup Final but there's no need for him to be treated to another round of the birthday bumps.

You could hardly blame the Rangers midfielder for feeling like he's endured his fair share of the dunts already when it comes to cup disappointments at Ibrox.

If the former Aberdeen skipper was expecting to find streets paved with silver when he pulled up on to Edmiston Drive after completing his switch from Pittodrie in 2017, he's had to think again after a string of knockout failures.

From the 10 attempts he's had at scaling the steps at the national stadium, he's managed to reach the top just once, with his extra-time screamer in last year's Scottish Cup Final finally helping Rangers to end their 11-year Hampden hoodoo.

Happy faces at last but Jack is still tormented by the litany of painful crashes his side have suffered. Tears famously flowed on the pitch in 2019 after Steven Gerrard's side were edged out by Celtic despite dominating that year's League Cup Final.

But Jack has dried his eyes and is now gritting his teeth as he looks to drive his team past Aberdeen in Sunday's semi-final and on to another opportunity to redeem that cup record on February 26.

Jack said: "We've obviously had a few sore ones in the cups during my time he As a club and a squad we've been looking to put that right.