Roy Carroll looks back on his brief spell with Rangers

But, being a life-long supporter of the Glasgow giants, he says it was a privilege and honour to be on the staff at Ibrox Park, albeit for a short period.

Roy, capped 45 times for Northern Ireland, signed a one-year contract for Rangers in July, 2007, initially as cover for first team regular ‘keeper Alan McGregor, but also to challenge for a starting place.

“I was recruited to Ibrox by manager Walter Smith, who, I knew, from his time at Manchester United working under Sir Alex Ferguson. I had high hopes of securing a regular Rangers first team place, but very soon I realised how good a goalkeeper Alan McGregor was and how difficult it was going to be to take over from him,” recalled Roy.

“I had to be content with sitting on the bench as understudy to Alan, with one game I remember when we beat Celtic 3-0 and the jubilation there was over the result.

“It was great to be around Ibrox then, but every player wants to play games and I was no different, and in January, 2008 I left to go back down south for a spell with Derby County. Walter

Smith understood my reasons for leaving. My spell at Rangers was short, but highly memorable and enjoyable.

“Rangers reached the final of the Europa Cup in Manchester at the end of season 2007-08. There was a great bunch of players at Ibrox then, Steven Davis arrived in January and he was followed by another Co Fermanagh man, Kyle Lafferty.

“Rangers, along with Manchester United, are still the team that I follow and I was also delighted to play for Linfield, a club with very strong ties to Rangers,” added Roy.

Big Roy, from Tamlaght outside Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, made his only appearance for Rangers against East Fife in a Scottish League Cup game on September 26, 2007.

Now 43, he gained his reputation as a Wigan Athletic and Manchester United goalkeeper in the English Premier League.

He won a League winners’ medal and an FA Cup winners’ medal (against Millwall in the final) and FA Cup runners-up medal. He was an integral part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team for several years.

Roy also played for Greek club Olympiacos, where he won Greek Super League winners’ medals three times and the Greek Cup twice.

His first of 45 caps for Northern Ireland came in 1997, aged just 19.

Roy also played for Hull City, West Ham United, Derby County, Notts County, Odense Bk in Denmark, OFI Crete in Greece and had three seasons with in the Irish Premiership with Linfield, under another Northern Ireland, Manchester United and Rangers favourite David Healy.

With the Belfast Blues, Roy won Irish Premier League, Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield winners’ medals in 2016-17 season and was a huge favourite with the fans at Windsor Park.

As a youth, his clubs were Fivemiletown United and Ballinamallard United in rural west Ulster junior leagues.

Roy also had a one-year spell as manager at Barnet, leading the club to a 2011 Herts Senior Cup success against Stevenage.

Big-hearted, an outgoing character and a player who has always had a strong rapport with supporters, wherever he has played, Roy received the British Red Cross humanitarian award for his kindness to a child suffering from leukaemia.

Retired from playing, Roy is now in big demand as a goalkeeping coach.

*Rangers Football Club - The Ulster Connection by Billy Kennedy (published 2019 by Books 4 Publishing, Tobermore), available at Rangers superstores (Ann Street, Belfast and St Enoch’s Square, Glasgow) and online from Amazon.