Lee Wallace says Kenny Miller is key to Rangers' cup bid

Rangers striker Kenny Miller heads home the first of his two goals against Motherwell. Picture: SNS

Lee Wallace, pictured, is certainly willing to ascribe to the 37-year-old’s powers to solve what would seem intractable issues, as he did following Miller’s late double on Saturday that turned on its head a Scottish Cup tie Motherwell appeared to have in the bag.

Miller is only contracted until the summer and has yet to receive any contact from the club over a potential extension. Single-handedly securing a last-16 home tie against Morton in the only tournament left this season to offer Rangers the – slender – possibility of ending six years without a major honour, should surely strengthen Miller’s hand. As should Wallace’s insistence that the veteran holds the very key to such a trophy triumph.

It might not say much for Mark Warburton’s men that their most valuable frontline matchwinner is an age when most players are retired. Moreover, he was only taking his goal tally for the season to seven with his 84th and 89th-minute strikes as Motherwell effectively folded – a turn of events following the crafting of a 74th-minute Louis Moult headed opener that left Mark McGhee looking like a man who wanted to remain in a darkened room for the rest of 2017.

In mitigation, Miller has rarely played through the middle recently which might partly explain his modest total. The former Scotland international said on Saturday night that the role was the most natural and effective fit for him. He certainly made the most of the opportunity to show how to pounce on defensive weakness.

He had no right to get his head on a floated ball in from Martyn Waghorn but did so by spectacularly propelling himself across the face of a static Motherwell backline for his first. His second was a case of producing a lethal finish, with a Stephen McManus misplaced pass unexpectedly allowing him to be played in.

The hugely likeable Miller buzzes off the pitch as much as on it with his almost Panglossian view of the club he has enjoyed three spells with since 2000. His industry, irrepressible nature and insight into Rangers makes him an individual Wallace believes his club cannot afford to lose.

“As long as we keep Kenny Miller at this club we’ll continue winning games and hopefully bring success back ,” said the defender.

“As long as we keep Kenny Miller at this football club our young players are going to learn and develop and trust him and learn from him every day – and I include myself  in that. It would be easy to say it’s the old pals’ act but that’s my strong feelings. We’re going to do better as a club if Kenny Miller stays here.

“The way he conducts himself, the way that he trains, that has to be the way we all look to try and apply ourselves, especially for being the age he’s at.

“On the back of that you’ve got a ready-made coach in there, for whatever area the club want. We need to use him because he’s one of the main players in there that’s had  success at this club.

“Sometimes it’ll be hard for him because he’s that used to that and he wants that back more than anybody.

“That’s great and we need that drive and we need him here because we need to feed off that drive, we need to feed off that ambition and desire, to be the best we can and get these Champions League nights and successes back to this club.

“Kenny’s had that in stages of his career and I hope that can happen and his contract can be secured in the next few weeks and we can all move  forward and keep winning.”