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Academy graduate Chris Hegarty was proud to play for boyhood heroes Rangers during the journey back to Scotland’s top flight and although it was a difficult period for everyone associated with the club he has nothing but fond memories of his time in Glasgow.
The Northern Irishman, who is 33 today, joined in 2010 after impressing for Millwall’s youth team and he was honoured to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Steven Davis, David Healy and Kyle Lafferty who have all graced the hallowed Ibrox turf.
Chris worked with former youth coaches Billy Kirkwood and Tommy Wilson when his Light Blues adventure began and Ally McCoist handed Chris his first-team debut in a friendly with Linfield at Windsor Park in May 2012.
The Dungannon-born defender became a regular during the 2012/13 Third Division campaign as Rangers took their first step on the way back to the Premier League and he was one of a number of Academy prospects given the chance to play.
Captain Lee McCulloch, Lee Wallace, Dean Shiels and Neil Alexander were among the experienced professionals in the camp but Hegarty and younger players like Andy Little, Lewis Macleod, Barrie McKay, Robbie Crawford, Kane Hemmings, Luca Gasparotto, Andrew Mitchell and Fraser Aird also played their part.
On the opening day of the 2013/14 campaign, Chris opened the scoring in a 4-1 win over Brechin after just 2 minutes but his moment of glory at a packed Ibrox was spoiled soon after as a serious injury meant he never played again for his beloved Rangers.
He left at the end of the season, joining Linfield, before a loan move then permanent transfer to hometown club Dungannon Swifts – where he won the League Cup, the first senior trophy in their history.
Hegarty later played for Crusaders in Belfast – where he scored on his debut in a Europa League tie with B36 Torshavn – and he also played home and away against Wolves in the same competition.
He recently hung up his playing boots after a return to Dungannon Swifts and is now making his mark in the coaching world in his role as Academy Manager and Under-18s coach with the club he captained and is close to his heart.
In a wide-ranging interview as he showed his support for The Rangers Youth Development Company – who have donated more than £12 million to the club’s Academy to date – Chris reflects on his journey with the Light Blues and career since leaving Glasgow.
He said: “I had a good stint at Millwall but I came up to meet Hibs then youth scout Phil Cowen, who I actually work with now, got involved and got me to Rangers on trial.
“It then moved very quickly over the space of a couple of weeks and I signed. It was a dream to join the club I supported as a boy.
“Goalkeeper Wayne Drummond was also going from Millwall to Rangers at the same time and I had lived with him at Millwall for two years previously so it was great to have him and another Northern Irish player, Andy Mitchell, signing for Rangers at the same time.
“The facilities at Rangers were far better than I was used to at Millwall.
“It was a good grounding there but when you go to Rangers the standards are higher, the pitches are better and the place is just incredible.
“I always say you have to appreciate what you have at Rangers because it is not like that at other clubs.
“Everyone looked after us so well. You had everything you needed to be the best version of yourself you could be.
“From Katy who looked after the players, to the chef Paul who taught us to cook for ourselves at home or Stevie the physio who looked after us – it was first class.
“Billy Kirkwood was my youth coach when I started at Rangers and he was brilliant with me. I really enjoyed learning from him. He was tough but he would give you great advice and tell you what it takes to be a footballer.
“He drove high standards and it was great to work with him and Tommy Wilson.
“I still pass on the lessons I learned there to the younger players I coach at Dungannon.
“It is important to pass on those experiences. I have seen it and done it and been told the same things when I was a young player and it is then up to them if they listen.
“Kirky used to say to the boys that it’s a short career so you have to work hard and enjoy it because before you know it you are approaching 30 and near the end.
“It all goes in the blink of an eye so you have to work as hard as you can every day of the week and be the best version of yourself you can.
“I was very fortunate and proud to have played for Rangers.
“There were difficult times for the club and I might not have got the same opportunities if they weren’t in the lower leagues, but I am proud to have experienced it and played with the calibre of player that I did.
“I got to play and train with some of Northern Ireland’s greatest ever players in Steven Davis and David Healy.
“I got to see them in the flesh and see how they did things day to day.
“I am very proud of those experiences and I am passionate about passing on that knowledge to younger players and developing talent.
“To have gained those experiences, lived it and to have played in front of 50,000 fans at Rangers is something I am very proud of.
“I am on a journey now where I can use all that to fuel younger players.
“It was difficult but you learn in life from those experiences and I am enjoying my new journey in coaching.
“When we started in the Third Division it was about winning games of football.
“To be honest, when you walk into the Rangers Academy you know right away you must win. You have to understand that. You must win at all costs.
“When you get to the Rangers first-team you can times that by 20!
“It’s a totally different ball game. That winning mentality is massive and whenever you are in a culture and environment that breeds that, it rubs off on you.
“We were fortunate to have highly-experienced players too and I got to play beside Lee McCulloch – he drove standards.
“He was the right captain for the club at the time and he drove all the boys on. He always stepped up whenever we needed something.
“There was a good group of Academy players who all went on to have decent careers and it was a great learning experience for us all.
“We might not have had that opportunity had the club been in the Premier League at the time but I look at it as being fortunate as I knew what it meant to play for the club.
“I don’t think we let anyone down. We were highly motived young lads who wanted to go and do a job for the first-team.
“Ally protected us and we gained massive experience from that. It started our journey off in a good way because we had to grow up very quickly.
“We still had more than 50,000 fans at Ibrox and travelling in big numbers to support us in away games. It was unbelievable to experience and we all appreciated that support.
“I remember walking down the tunnel at Ibrox for the first time, nervous as hell, with the hairs standing up on the back of your neck but feeling that pride as you ran out on to the pitch.
“Nothing can really prepare you for that.
“The club meant as much to me as it did to the supporters but we were living that journey and walking out to play at Ibrox.
“I look back and I know I was fortunate to do that so many times.
“I was also very fortunate to have worked under Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant and Kenny McDowall. All top men who knew what Rangers was about.
“They did everything to keep the pressure off us and keep things as enjoyable as possible, but with a serious side as well, so we could focus on playing.
“How they dealt with the off the field stuff was top class and they gave us a platform to go and play on a Saturday.
“I don’t think anyone else could have dealt with that pressure and all that was going on.
“It was top level but I don’t think you would expect anything else from those three characters who knew what it meant to be at Rangers.
“Big credit to them.
“I loved my time at the club. It’s massive from players from Northern Ireland to come over and play for Rangers.
“It’s a home from home and we were welcomed with open arms.
“There is a great connection and we were all made to feel very comfortable.
“Only a handful of people get to do that but when you are at Rangers and living it and breathing it, it is an honour.
“Legends in Northern Ireland like Steven Davis, David Healy, Kyle Lafferty and Dean Shiels have all done it and I am proud to say I have graced the same pitch as them.
“Playing for Rangers was special and the feeling after scoring early in the first game of the 2013/14 season was incredible.
“That Brechin game was on flag day as well and it was unfurled by Sandy Jardine – God rest his soul. I am proud to have played even a small, small part in the club’s history by doing that.
“Unfortunately, I got injured after that game and it was frustrating as I didn’t play again but I can look back on a moment that not many people get to have with pride.
“The place erupted after two minute. It was fantastic and I can always say I scored at the Copland Road end of Ibrox.
“I then went to Linfield and played in Europe with them. I got injured again sadly and it was another long one and I ended up going on loan at Dungannon to get myself fit again.
“I joined permanently and I was proud to sign for my hometown club.
“I was there as a young lad from four years of age and I went on to win the League Cup with them under manager Rodney McAree.
“It was the club’s first senior trophy so another proud moment.
“I wanted to play in Belfast again after that and Crusaders was the right club for me.
“I scored on my debut against a team from the Faroe Islands and the club was a good fit.
“We ended up playing Wolves in Europe and I got to play at Molineux – where we done ourselves proud.
“It was as close to playing a Ibrox at that stage of my career.
“I also captained Dungannon and that was a dream too as a young player. For me, I am part of the furniture with Dungannon.
“When you come to the end of your playing career you think about coaching and I love doing it now.
“Helping young players is really enjoyable and it is great to see them develop.
“I got enough out of my playing career. You always look for a buzz, like playing at Ibrox, and now I get that from coaching.
“I am very passionate about helping young players. The messages are always the same – you need to get your head down and keep working.
“I am fortunate to have had a lot of experiences in football to understand that it is a journey. When you are young you dream big and your attitude will always supersede any technical ability you have.
“It’s about having a good attitude, staying grounded and humble.
“That’s what gets you to where you are going to be. No-matter how high or low that level is.
“Attitude will get you further than anything else.
“I did my ‘B License’ last year with Steven Davis and I caught up with him again on my ‘A Licence’ this year and he always looked after us at Rangers.
“It is great to pick his brains on a few things. He is always a gentleman and he conducts himself so well, I can aspire to be like that as a coach.
“He is always humble, level headed and very hard working.
“When you get older you realise that not everyone gets to have a football career but I am still working in the game and I am very proud of that.
“I am enjoying the coaching journey and the key is to keep moving forward and learn from your experiences.
“It’s just the start of my coaching career but I will try and use all the experiences I had as a player to be the best I can be.”
Chris’ career development was assisted by annual RYDC donations to the Rangers Academy and more than £12 million has already been provided.
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