Beattie answered manager's late call-up

New Rangers signing James Beattie cut a bullish figure after being denied a goal on his unexpected debut. Only a day after his £1.3 million move from Stoke City the 32-year-old English striker combined with scorer Kenny Miller in the Ibrox attack for a 2-1 win against Kilmarnock and pledged afterwards that the pair would plunder their fair share.

"If you put two good players together you get a good partnership," Beattie said of linking up with Miller, whom he revealed he knew through their mutual friend Joleon Lescott, who played with the Scot at Wolves and then with Beattie at Everton.

Beattie didn't know he would be starting until two hours before kick-off, his promotion from a bench berth a consequence of Steven David picking up a virus while on duty for Northern Ireland this week.

"I didn't even know Davo was ill but I sort of gathered something was happening when the manager pulled me in to his office ," he said.

"Even before he started talking I knew I was gonna say: 'Yeah, I'd love to help out."

Beattie acknowledged he might have offered even greater assistance to the cause with a goal. "You always want to score on your debut and I had two decent chances," he explained.