BEN Burgess did at least get the sympathy vote, as he had no chance of making a decent impression in a poor team performance.

The 18-year-old striker's senior debut was not one to remember but he was desperately unlucky to be handed his chance just when Rovers decided to revert to the kind of impoverished display that has cost them so dearly this season.

But manager Graeme Souness made it clear the youngster will soon have another chance to taste first team football.

"I can play a lot better than that," said the teenager, who had almost an hour before being substituted. "It was my first game and I have to get used to things.

"I was very nervous, I didn't really expect to play this early. I played for the under-19s last week, trained with the first team and I couldn't stop smiling when the manager told me I was in the team.

"We expected to win at home and we could have done in the end, but it was just one of those days."

Souness had some sympathetic words for the teenager and believes he can prove his potential in the right circumstances.

"In an ideal world, you want to introduce a young player when your team is playing with lots of confidence and winning games," said the manager.

"That wasn't the case. Ben had to come in when, for the first time since I have been here, we weren't fully concentrated. That was the biggest problem for me.

"But he did all right and he'll be involved again between now and the end of the season."