Spurs loanee Dominic Ball wins Old Firm match with Rangers

Of all the Tottenham Hotspur players on loan this season, you could argue the one who has had the most successful season has been Dominic Ball. The 20-year old utility man has been on loan with Rangers this season and has been a regular in Mark Warburton's lineup this season, making 28 appearances in all competitions and scoring a goal. He's played both as a center back and as a defensive midfielder for Rangers.

Along the way, Ball has helped 'Gers achieve promotion back to the Scottish Premier League for the first time since their financial insolvency relegated them back to the fourth tier of Scottish football in 2012. Now he's added another feather in his cap after Rangers defeated Old Firm arch-rivals Celtic in a penalty shootout in the Scottish Cup semifinal on Sunday. Celtic are currently top of the Scottish Premier League.

After the match. Ball gave an interview that was posted on Rangers' official website.

"It was unbelievable. It was probably the best game I’ve ever played in my life and to win it the way we did on penalties, it’s unbelievable.

"I didn’t have any clue of what to expect. Obviously, you see clips of [Celtic], you see they’re a good team, they’ve got good individual players. But in the back of my mind I knew the rest of the players and the team all had that belief in our team."

Ball started the match as a defensive midfielder, but ended up moving to center back at the end of regulation after 'Gers defender Rob Kiernan was subbed off with an injury.

"My legs are wrecked, but it’s worth it. This is what it takes to win games like that and you might have to play there or in another position so I was ready for it and I thought I did all right.

"This was definitely the biggest point in my career so far."

Ball's only 20 years old but all reports are he's played really well for Rangers this season on loan. He's due back to Tottenham at the end of the season, but has expressed interest in going back to Rangers, assuming Tottenham don't have other plans for him.

The Scottish second division is a far cry from the Premier League, but Ball looks like a player who could be given a chance this summer to make an impression with Mauricio Pochettino. It doesn't seem likely that he's ready to make the jump to a Champions League-caliber starting 11, but after this showing, he might be able to parlay this into another solid developmental loan