Tom Lawrence wants Rangers redemption after Champions League 'hurt' as he looks to forget injury nightmare

Rewind to this time last year and cast an eye over the jubilant scenes that followed Rangers’ triumph over PSV to reach the Champions League and you’ll find Tom Lawrence tucked off to the side.

The image doesn’t quite stack up against the role the Welshmsn played, given he was very much front and centre in the two performances that contributed to that famous victory. It might have been a fluke but his free-kick which Walter Benitez spilled over his line helped Gers to a 2-2 draw in the thrilling Ibrox first leg.

Lawrence’s tireless graft in the return was just as crucial as the brakes were put on the Dutch outfit as they tried desperately to overturn Antonio Colak’s priceless winner. Lawrence might even have claimed the Croat’s headlines for himself had his shuddering strike moments before dipped an inch lower to find the top corner instead of shaking the bar.

But it wasn’t long after the aforementioned photograph was taken in the Philips Stadion that Lawrence would be completely out of frame. An injury picked up the following weekend was initially expected to keep him out for just a few weeks but ended up completely curtailing his debut campaign in Glasgow.

After a long 12-month fight for fitness, however, Lawrence is at last back in the picture at Ibrox. He won’t face PSV on Wednesday having been left off of Michael Beale’s UEFA squad.

But he’s hoping his team-mates can again outshine the lightbulbs and ensure his name will be in sharp focus once the group stage gets underway next month. The midfielder, who returned in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Ross County as a sub, said: “That night in Eindhoven was very special.

“It had been a long time since the club had been in the Champions League so to be involved that night was