McGregor testimonial: Balogun enjoys 45 minutes action

Returnee Rangers ace and Nigeria international Leon Balogun saw second half action the Ibrox landlords were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle in a testimonial match in honour of Allan McGregor on Tuesday night.

The friendly was held in honour of Allan McGregor who hung up his gloves at the end of the 2022-2023 season after two spells at Rangers in which he registered 216 clean sheets in 488 all-competition appearances.

Balogun came on at the start of the second half as Rangers attempted to restore parity and featured for the entire duration of the half.

Miguel Almiron gave Newcastle the lead in the 16th minute before new signing Sam Lammers restored parity for the home team in the 64th minute.

Three minutes before the end of normal regulation time, young Scottish defender Harrison Ashby scored the winning goal for the Magpies.

It was Balogun’s second appearance for the Scottish outfit as he had earlier featured in Rangers’ 2-0 win over Hallescher FC last week having come on as a second-half substitute.

While the 35-year-old has made two appearances so far for Michael Beale’s side, his compatriot, Cyriel Dessers is still waiting for his debut.

READ ALSOSuper Eagles ace Leon Balogun returns to Rangers

Beale’s side still have three pre-season games coming up, against Hamburger, Olympiakos and Hoffenheim.

Newcastle handed a debut to the impressive Sandro Tonali following the midfielder’s £55m arrival from AC Milan, while Allan Saint-Maximin did not travel as speculation over his future at St James’ Park continues to mount.

But the night itself was about McGregor, who received a standing ovation when he was substituted shortly before half-time and at the final whistle as he brought his 15-year association with Rangers to an end.