AFTER spending two-and-a-half years on the fringes of the Rangers squad, Greg Docherty sealed a permanent move to Hull City this summer following loan spells at Shrewsbury and Hibernian.

The former Accies player admits it was a difficult call to leave Ibrox in search of a new club but when he looked at the performances put in by the likes of Ryan Jack, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield, he knew it would be "really tough" to break into the starting line-up.

That led to Docherty's switch to Hull, where he says he can "take control" of his career once again - with the 23-year-old insisting he has no regrets about his choice to move on from Rangers.

When asked if he requested more game time from Steven Gerrard when speaking to the Football Daft podcast, he said: "Obviously, you do have conversations and stuff like that. But I had to be realistic.

"For the majority of that time from the summer through to January, the team were doing well, they were winning.

"I looked at the guys ahead of me. Davo [Steven Davis] was back, he was coming and getting better and better; Jacko [Ryan Jack] had an unbelievable season last year; Scotty [Scott Afrield] as well, banging in goals.

"I was looking across that midfield and it was really tough. There were very rarely times when one of them got injured, there was very rarely a space opening up. That’s what you’re hoping for and trying to prime yourself all the time to make sure you’re ready and fit.

“It was a squad that was – maybe that’s down to the way the medical team or the sports science team – they were a robust, fit squad. It just so happened there weren’t many spaces or opportunities opening up.

"But you get to a point where you think to yourself that you can’t waste any more time. I was thinking I’d just turned 23 and I need to play again and re-evaluate in the summer.”

That introspection resulted in Docherty's move to Hull when it became clear the midfielder would never be more than a bit-part player under Gerrard.

But rather than wondering what might have been, Docherty says the move lifted his spirits - as constantly thinking about his future was taking its toll psychologically.

He continued: “I think I had to [decide to leave]. It does, mentally, take its toll.

"My mum said to me in the last few weeks, 'You wouldn’t believe the difference in you'. I probably don’t realise, it’s just a weight off my shoulders that I’m doing what I always wanted to dedicate my life to doing, just to playing football.

"And because it was Rangers, I could see it was affecting my family and friends, me not playing, and they were sometimes, you could see if I’m disappointed, they’re trying not to show their disappointment.”

“It’s stood me in brilliant stead. I’ve learned through that spell, that four/five months, you go right to maybe bits of your mind you don’t really think you’ve been before.

"It was a total new thing. That was the first time I’d experienced not playing. It’s just telling yourself so many people in their career go through it, and it might be the only time, hopefully it is.

"Again, I know for a fact I went in every day and I loved being in that dressing room, I loved the boys, I did feel part of it and felt they respected me as well.

"They respected that every day I trained to my maximum. And Gerrard said to me, I spoke to him loads of times, he was like, "I don’t have an answer for you, you don’t give me any reason to not [pick someone else]," which is a tough one to take because I’m thinking what can I do?

"You’re hoping an opportunity comes. But the players in front of me were good players and I’m honest enough to know that. They’re seasoned pros, they were good, in their prime, and it’s just unfortunate that was in front of me at the time.

"It’s the move I’d always wanted, it’s disheartening, it doesn’t really sit with me well how it ended up. But I had to go and take control of my career again and that’s how I’m down here and I’m really enjoying my football again.”

The Football Daft podcast with Grado, Stephen Purdon and Chris Toal - a dafter look at Scottish football. Available weekly on Spotify, Apple, Deezer, Stitcher, Soundcloud and YouTube. New episodes every Friday, with around 20,000 weekly listeners.