Simon Ramsden is the blue-eyed boy with Motherwell’s top brass after landing them a plum cup draw at Rangers.

Stuart McCall joked that “the chief executive is still bouncing off the ceiling” about the League Cup third-round trip to Ibrox later this month.

He said: “We always have to send someone from the club to each draw and usually it’s one of the injured players. I told Rammers to go because his dad’s a big Rangers fan and he promised we’d get them away!

“It’s on the telly and the share we’ll take on the gate money will make it a big pay day.

“We were the last team to play there as an SPL club when we drew 0-0 on the final day last season. Now we’ll be the first to go back.”

Ramsden, dogged by injuries in his three years with City, has been sidelined again by a hamstring pull. But the blank weekend should see him fit enough to return at Dundee.

McCall is delighted to have his former defender on board again.

“He ticks the boxes for me because he can play three different positions. Everyone at Bradford knows him as a right back but he can also go in as a holding midfielder in a middle three.

“I brought him chiefly as a centre half, which he did a few times for me at Valley Parade .

“I remember the night Rochdale turned us over at home and Chris Dagnall was giving Zesh (Rehman) a torrid time. I was kicking myself because I’d thought about playing Rammers in there from the start.

“We were 3-0 down by half-time and I moved him over for the second half. Rammers kept him quiet and they didn’t score again.

“But it’s important with our wage structure at Motherwell that we have versatile players. Omar (Daley) can play left, right or up top and the same with Nicky Law, who can go wide or off the striker.

“Rammers had started really well for me at centre half but unfortunately he got injured at Kilmarnock right at the end of the game.

“He was that desperate to play in Spain the other day because we had such a young squad, that he pushed him too far too quickly. But this break will help and hopefully he’ll be available again because he’s a big player.”