IAN DURRANT reckons Walter Smith made a wise move in bringing Kenny McDowall on board.

Smith brought Ally McCoist with him as his No.2, but his decision to poach the Celtic reserve coach as No.3 came as a shock to many.

Durrant was tipped to take up that position, but instead was promoted to join the trio at first-team level. And he thinks it has worked out well.

He said: "I'm working with the first team more now, helping out the gaffer, Coisty and Kenny, which has been great.

"Walter sat down with me and told me the situation. He identified Kenny a few years ago as he had worked wonders at Celtic. For 10 years, his record at reserve level was second to none. The gaffer knew of Kenny's capabilities and I think it was a great move to bring him in.

"I think a lot of people just expect you to move up but you can't do that, you need a bit of freshness and Kenny has brought that along with Ally."

Before Smith returned to Rangers, Durrant was put in charge of the team following Paul Le Guen's departure. He labels it "the dreaded game" - the day they lost to Dunfermline at East End Park to crash out the Scottish Cup.

He said: "To say you were in charge of Rangers for a week was great, I wouldn't swap it now - apart from a different scoreline, of course.

"But no-one can take that away from me, either. I still get pelters for it, but you've got to learn from these things."

However, Durrant knows Smith has made an immediate impact. He said: "Walter has managed to steady the ship. I think he has picked up 22 points out of a possible 24 in the league since taking over and the team has only conceded a couple of goals.

"The gaffer brought in a bit of experience in Davie Weir and Ugo Ehiogu and they have been immense. What a difference two solid defenders have made to the team and we are finishing strongly."