Cole McKinnon, the lad blessed with a birth year of 2003 (now aged 21, for those of you who missed the abacus in school), emerged from the misty landscapes of Scotland to grace the football pitch. Makes a living, or tries to at least, as a midfielder - primarily central, for Rangers. Said lad measures in at a rather unremarkable 1.78m (equilibrium for you metric users: that's 5ft 10in), and tips the scales at 71kg (or in figures more beloved to our native system, 11st 2lb). Presents himself on match day in the not-so-iconic nuber 48 jersey.
March 2021 saw a chapter of McKinnon's career that was about as thrilling as watching paint dry. The Scottish Premiership team Rangers, in a move that must have been decided upon during an especially dull Monday meeting, decided to loan him to East Fife in League Two. Ah, the thrill of the game.
Inevitably, June 2021 approached and with it came the end of McKinnon's loan. He returned from East Fife to Rangers, probably with a new appreciation for the outside of the relegation zone. His debut season at Rangers (2021 - 2022) saw a single first team appearance and a single goal in league matches. Quite the riveting statistic, isn't it?
Barely a year had passed before our itinerant friend was on the move again, this time venturing to Partick Thistle in the Championship for another loan spell in July 2022. During his season 2022 - 2023 at Partick Thistle, McKinnon managed to be present 22 times, scoring three times. Like a rare celestial event in a cloudy sky.
In June 2023, McKinnon, having likely exhausted all the tourism options in Partick, returned to Rangers. His subsequent seasons at Rangers, 2023 – 2024 and the 2024 – 2025, were just as frenzied as his first one, with a single appearance in the former and a big, round zero in the latter. Remarkable consistency, if you ask me.
In his spare time, McKinnon participated in the Scottish Cup 2023 - 2024 for Rangers with a single appearance off the bench, and did a ditto act for the Europa League 2023 - 2024. Just to keep things interesting, you understand.
