The old saying warns against falling for a loan player, but Kilmarnock supporters have wholeheartedly embraced Findlay Curtis. The 19-year-old joined from parent club Rangers in January, having already netted three goals and provided two assists in 21 appearances for the Ibrox side, including impressive European displays against teams like Porto.
His standout performance at St Mirren on Saturday showcased maturity beyond his years, brimming with confidence and the creative freedom granted by Rugby Park manager Neil McCann. By scoring a composed brace in the win at Paisley, Curtis not only bolstered Kilmarnock’s survival hopes but may have also reignited his ambitions of joining Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Curtis shines as Kilmarnock edge past St Mirren in relegation battle
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Outscoring four high-profile Rangers signings
Since leaving Ibrox on loan in January, many Rangers fans have wondered whether he could have made a bigger impact than some of the team’s out-of-form attackers. “If you’re Danny Rohl now, you’d rather have him in your squad,” BBC Sport Scotland pundit Scott Allan said. “At that time, he might have thought Andreas Skov Olsen and others would come in and make an impact. But now he’ll look back and realize they’d be a much stronger side with Findlay Curtis in it.”
Indeed, Curtis has outperformed many of his potential replacements at Ibrox. His five league goals this season match the combined totals of Skov Olsen, fellow January signing Ryan Naderi, Oliver Antman, and Djeidi Gassama.
With two matches remaining this season, Kilmarnock sit four points clear of St Mirren and the relegation play-off spot, with Curtis playing a pivotal role in lifting the team away from danger. “I think it shows he enjoys that responsibility,” Allan said of Curtis’s willingness to step up when it matters most.
Video caption: Curtis on his connection with the Killie fans
“That’s usually when you see players who have that little extra, who want to take the ball under pressure, who want to be the one to win the game. Age shouldn’t really matter—it’s either in you or it’s not, and Curtis has certainly shown he has that bite.”
When McCann took over at Kilmarnock, it quickly became clear he wanted Curtis on loan, having previously worked with him as part of Barry Ferguson’s backroom staff at Rangers toward the end of last season. Allan, who played under McCann at Dundee and Inverness, believes the manager’s guidance is beneficial for Curtis’s current stage of development. “You could go on loan from Rangers or Celtic and maybe ease off a little, but I don’t think McCann would have allowed that.”
Curtis could have been competing for a spot in the Rangers lineup, but he chose a loan move for regular playing time—a decision he believes was right. “One of the main things was to get as many minutes as I can,” Curtis told BBC Sport Scotland after his impressive double. “Scoring those goals gives me a lot of confidence. I want to keep raising my numbers, and I won’t stop trying. I just need to keep working hard and see what happens next.”
Analysis: How Curtis proved decisive at Paisley
One word comes to mind when describing Curtis’s display against St Mirren: clinical. He had three shots, two on target, both goals, and both well-taken. He showed the quality that earned him regular playing time under Russell Martin early in his Rangers tenure, scoring three times.
