Forres gift to Rangers on display at Ibrox

A SPECIALLY-COMMISSIONED plate given to Rangers Football Club by Forres Mechanics has taken pride of place in the Glasgow club’s trophy room.

The unique memento was presented to mark the Scottish Cup tie between the sides at Mosset Park last month and is now on display as a showpiece on the Ibrox stadium tour.

The Rangers website is now actively promoting the unique gift for fans to visit.

"It’s the very first time we’ve ever played Forres competitively and as a club," said ex-Rangers player, now Public relations officer, Sandy Jardine. "The gift we got from them was one of the most unusual ones we have received. In football terms, it is a really tasteful piece of memorabilia."

Rangers narrowly beat Mechanics by a goal to nil on a historic day in the Mosset Park club’s history. The two sides exchanged gifts before kick-off and it was the Ibrox side who were most impressed with their locally crafted commemorative present.

The plate by Highland Stoneware depicts 22 sheep in Forres and Rangers strips playing each other at football with Forres, including Nelson Tower and the Mercat Cross, as a backdrop.

"We have received so many great gifts over the years and we have some wonderful ones from some of the best teams in the world such as Manchester United and Barcelona," said Sandy, on the club site.

"Valencia, for instance, have given us beautiful porcelain figures. We have been very fortunate. The piece from Forres was very special too and I think it’s one of the best gifts we have even had. I’ve no doubt when people come along to Ibrox to do a stadium tour, it will be a talking point and something they’ll look at with a smile."

Mechanics Club chairman Dr James "The Doc" Anderson said that he was delighted that Rangers had put the plate on display, as a memento of a special day and even more delighted they were actively seeking to promote it.

"It's fantastic for Forres," he said. "We as a club have gotten so much positive publicity out of this match and it is brilliant, that it is still generating publicity for us and the town."

He added: "To get a mention on the same page as Manchester Utd and Barcelona is very special too."