Rangers offer Alexander the perfect blend

FROM part-time barman at Edinburgh Airport to playing in the Uefa Cup final is the kind of journey that would find a place in any history of the vagaries of fortune offered by professional football. Neil Alexander will complete the last leg of the long, circuitous trip when he takes to the field at the City of Manchester Stadium tomorrow night.

It was when playing for Stenhousemuir that the 30-year-old Rangers goalkeeper had to supplement his wages by mixing cocktails at Turnhouse. "No, I didn't do the flash, spinning the bottles in the air number, because I was afraid I would drop them," he says, with self-deprecating humour.

He did dream, though. Indeed, he still does, mainly about saving the penalty kick that will result in his raising the Uefa Cup above his head. This is no impossible reverie, of course, as he has already enjoyed the experience, denying the Fiorentina midfielder, Fabio Liverani, in the semi-final shoot-out that took the Ibrox side into tomorrow's showdown.

Alexander's entire career appears to have been a dream-become-reality, culminating in the totally unexpected move from Ipswich to Rangers and including the season-ending injury to Allan McGregor that has brought the opportunity to participate in two cup finals – Uefa and Scottish – and the impossibly tense closing stages of the Premier League championship duel with Celtic. It has been a seemingly constant upward spiral of good fortune for which he is appropriately grateful.

"When I think to working part-time behind the bar at Edinburgh Airport when I was at Stenhousemuir, I have to pinch myself to realise this is happening," said Alexander. "I'm in a very fortunate position and I think I appreciate it all the more because of those hard, early days.

"All I ever wanted to be was a pro footballer, like thousands of other kids, so I've been very, very fortunate. I've now taken part in two Old Firm games, and there's the Uefa Cup and the Scottish Cup finals ahead of us. I've also got three Scotland caps and if I never get another one, I'll die a very happy man.

"There's so much happened for me in such a short time, it's hard to take in. When I got the offer to come to Rangers in January, I knew I would be here simply as back-up to Allan and I was quite prepared to sit on the bench and watch him play. And, as much as I'm delighted for myself, I'm sorry for him because he's made a huge contribution to getting the team to where they are now.

"I had been a first choice at my clubs for the past seven or eight years, so it was a big decision for me. But there were several factors, not least my wife, Joanne, and our two daughters. Holly is four and Olivia is just eight months and they were missed by their grandparents. So the chance to come back to Scotland, where our friends are, too, made the decision easier.

"Also, I had no experience of European football and Rangers are always going to give you that chance. So, in so many ways, it was a fantastic opportunity for me. Now, to be in a European final and challenging for three trophies in all is quite unbelievable.

"At a personal level, it's been brilliant to have helped Rangers to their first European final in 36 years. You do daydream about making the great saves, and especially stopping penalty kicks, the ones that win us the cup. And I do sometimes see myself raising it above my head."

As Alexander admits, even his recent record in foiling penalty takers represents a notable change in his luck over the years.

"At Cardiff, I didn't have a very good record," he said. "But, after going to Ipswich in the summer, I saved three from five there. Then, of course, came the saves in the Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone and the one against Fiorentina in the Uefa Cup. So it's been a terrific season for me where penalties are concerned.

"There's a lot of luck involved in that, too, and I've had that. I mean, I really believe a penalty taker should never miss, because he has all the advantages. But that thought helps you feel relaxed and confident. A goalkeeper is in a no-lose situation, because the taker is expected to score. So, if you can make the one save that makes the difference between going out or going through, you're a hero. So far, the theory has worked out pretty well."