MURRAY WALLACE refused to feel sorry for himself when he was let go by Rangers after six years at Murray Park.

Now it is the Ibrox club who must feel burdened by regrets.

The 19-year-old revelled in a validation of sorts when his Falkirk side knocked his former team out of the Scottish Communities League Cup earlier in the campaign, and is set to bring in a fee of around £300,000 in the next few days, with Brighton and Hove Albion, Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic all queuing up to sign the talented centre-half.

Whether the deal is put on the back burner for the next 48 hours, or goes through and the player is immediately loaned back for the remainder of the campaign, Wallace is certain to showcase his abilities at Hampden tomorrow.

Like so many decisions on young players, Wallace's departure from Murray Park at the age of 16 was a product of a number of mitigating factors. There wasn't exactly unanimity among the Ibrox club's youth coaches, but enough were concerned about his slender, lanky build to hedge their bets with the offer of a part-time deal.

Wallace, however, wanted to leave school and was confident enough in his own abilities to know he would be better served with full-time training elsewhere. He went to Falkirk, and has hardly looked back since graduating to the first team this season.

"You just move on, that is all you can do," the left-sided centre half said. "There were plenty of other teams out there who were interested, so I didn't let it weigh me down too much. There were people at Rangers who believed in me, just not the right ones. They weren't influential enough. But with the support from my family and friends, I never had any doubt. To knock Rangers out of the cup this year was brilliant, just to be able to sort of prove people wrong was amazing."

Wallace has most of the attributes required of a modern centre-half – he is a quick, smart and composed footballer, who also competes aggressively in the air – and to witness his brawny frame first hand it is a wonder how anyone could ever have doubts about his physique.

"Rangers felt I wasn't developed enough, because I was quite tall and lanky at that time," he said. "They wanted me to go back to school for another year, to see if I filled out a bit, but I was wanting to leave school, because I wasn't enjoying it so much at that time. So I just said I would rather go full-time somewhere and progress as a footballer and it has worked out well.

"This whole season has been a bit of a surprise for me, though," he added. "I expected still to be playing Under-19s, but I have got the opportunities as they have come and taken them. I definitely knew there were going to be chances but I didn't know there were going to be so many."

Wallace hails from the village of Eaglesham to the south of Glasgow, but his time at Falkirk has brought him into close contact with one of his boyhood heroes. "Funnily enough, I idolised Steven Pressley when I was younger," he said. "I am a Hearts fan and, when I watched Steven play, I always thought I wanted to play like him and defend like him. I have never told him that . .. although maybe I have now. I know it sounds like I am sucking up to the manager, but the advice he gives us is great, I think he has helped all parts of my game, like my positioning and my decision making."

Teacher's pet or not, and however the transfer dealing pans out in the next few days, expect Wallace to continue exhibiting calm in the eye of the storm. "I have just been trying to keep all the attention at the back of my mind," he said.