DEREK Gaston was left looking on from the bench as Morton recorded two of the most memorable results in the club’s modern-day history by beating Celtic and drawing with Rangers.

But the popular goalkeeper is guaranteed to play a more hands-on role when the Gers come calling at Cappielow next week.

And after missing out on two special Old Firm occasions already, he is desperate to make a more telling contribution this time around and help Jim Duffy’s men pull off another famous result.

Gaston has been first-choice shot-stopper more often than not since joining in the summer of 2012, making 111 appearances in his three-and-a-half years on Sinclair Street.

Yet the former Albion Rovers man played second fiddle to French custodian Nicolas Caraux as the Greenock men dumped Celtic out of the League Cup in September 2013.

Then, in last month’s Championship clash at Ibrox, he was back-up to Grant Adam in the Ton’s impressive 2-2 draw against table-topping Rangers.

The sides meet again on Monday night, in a match which will be screened live on BT Sport, with Gaston back wearing the gloves and aiming to play his part in a repeat performance.

Speaking exclusively to the Tele, the 28-year-old said: “You always look forward to playing against Rangers. It’s obviously a big game and it’s always going to be a test.

“I was injured before the last game and saw the fixtures coming up at the time, and you hope to only miss one or two games but then it goes on a bit and you miss a few more.

“I only returned to training that week, so realistically I didn’t expect to be playing. It wasn’t as if I was annoyed or surprised I wasn’t playing.

“But I would have liked to have played in the game obviously, especially with us getting the result as well. You definitely want to be out there on the park.

“That’s me been here three-and-a-half seasons now and I’ve sat on the bench and watched us get a draw at Ibrox and sat on the bench and watched us win in extra-time against Celtic.

"Maybe when we play in these matches I’m a lucky omen to sit on the bench – but I maybe shouldn’t tell the manager that right enough!

“It was difficult to miss those games. You’re not overly disappointed, because I’ve played in other important games for Morton and you are delighted the team has got those big results. But you obviously want to play in these big matches.”

“These are the games that players and fans really remember for years to come if the result goes your way.

“If you go out and beat an Alloa, Livingston, Raith Rovers or whoever — and no disrespect to them — it won’t be remembered in five years’ time.

“But if you go out and beat a Rangers or Hibs, fans will still be talking about it in five years’ time and will remember a lot about the game. That’s the novelty of playing the teams you don’t play often.

“When you play against Raith Rovers or Livingston four times a season for pretty much every season for so many years then it’s a regular occurrence and you’re going to win a few and lose a few.

“But most of the teams in this division haven’t had too many chances and won’t have too many chances over the years to play against Rangers. So when you do get a result against them then it has that extra importance for the fans and the players.

"It would be great to get something against Rangers again on Monday night, and we believe we can do it. The fact we went to Ibrox on the big open pitch there and managed to get a draw and deserved to get it after almost winning the game shows we can do it again, especially at home.”

Mark Warburton’s men are the top scorers in Scotland this term with 61 league goals in 20 matches — an average of more than three per match.

They have scored an astonishing 19 times across their last four competitive outings, but Gaston insists being thrust into the firing line holds no fears.

He explained: “You expect to be a wee bit busy against Rangers, for them to create chances when you look at the amount of goals they have scored, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

“Referring back to the Ibrox game, I don’t actually think that Grant Adam had too many saves to make. He obviously conceded a couple of goals and his handling was good, but he didn’t have that many saves to make.

“Then when you go and play Alloa at the weekend there and in the first 45 minutes you’re busy and make two or three saves.

“So sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’re playing the team at the top of the league or the bottom of the league, you’ve got to be prepared to be busy.

“But if the team manages to defend as well as we did the last time we played against Rangers then maybe you won’t be as busy as you’d think you’re going to be.

"You go into the game with confidence and you hope that you’re making saves, especially in front of the TV cameras, and hope to put in a good performance and show what you’re capable of.”

Gaston goes into the game infused with belief after an impressive individual performance against Alloa last week.

The custodian made a hat-trick of fine stops to thwart Michael Duffy, Colin Hamilton and Connor McManus before the match was abandoned due to heavy snowfall. And after six weeks out with a medial ligament injury followed by two matches on the bench, Gaston feels as though he is finding his form again after a stop-start first half of the season.

He added: “That’s me had a few games back now and I feel as though I’m now getting back into it. I was out for six or seven weeks and that’s like coming back from pre-season.

“It’s like missing the summer and all of a sudden you’re back playing competitive games instead of playing pre-season friendlies to allow you to get back up to speed. You maybe feel fit and as though you can do everything, but you’re not as sharp as you were before you got injured.

“People maybe don’t think playing matches is as necessary for goalkeepers because of fitness, but it’s important to play and make saves to get your eye in and sharpen your reflexes.

“Goalkeepers need game time as much as anybody else and the more you get, the more comfortable you feel and the more confident you feel in your performance. Now that I’ve been back involved for around a month, I feel as if I’m maybe starting to get that sharpness back and starting to feel confident that I’m back to where I should be.”