John Barry Nusum has failed to show for professional trials with Glasgow Rangers, one of the two giants of Scottish football.

It is believed that the Furman College and Bermuda forward, who was a finalist for US College Player of the Year and helped Wolves to the Dudley Eve Trophy title over the holiday season, is instead with PHC forward Stephen Astwood at Livingston, budding rivals to the Glaswegian dominance of the Scottish Premier League.

Nusum, 20, was scheduled to have started a two-week trial with Rangers on Monday but yesterday, Tommy McLean, head of youth development at the club, told The Royal Gazette: “The player (Nusum) has not arrived and we don't know exactly what the situation is. As far as we know, he's not in Glasgow.”

Nusum and Astwood flew out of the Island last Thursday night after their names had been forwarded to an agent by Bermuda coach Mark Trott.

Trott, presently on business overseas, said on Sunday that he was not sure to which clubs the two players had been recommended but it is believed that confusion set in once no Rangers officials were at the airport to welcome Nusum last Friday morning, when he was, in essence, three days early.

McLean said last week he had not been expecting Nusum until Monday and had arranged accommodation for the player from that date.

Astwood is attempting to latch on with a professional club in Britain for the first time since plans to join Preston North End, of the English First Division, fell through at the beginning of last season when the Home Office refused the club a work permit.

No local player has been to Scotland for trials since Ricky Hill, the former Hotels and Bermuda striker whose superior heading ability belied his stature, had a spell at Hibernian in the 1983-84 season.

Livingston, situated in West Lothian, just to the west of Edinburgh, have been the success story of the Scottish Premier League season as, after winning a second successive promotion at the end of 2000-01, they are a strong third in the standings behind the traditional powers and a good bet for a place in Europe next season.

On Sunday, the Livi Lions are away to Rangers, ironically, in the feature match of the weekend, having battled to a scoreless draw in their previous travels to Ibrox.

Nobody from the Livingston club could be reached yesterday, and Nusum's mother, Ellvera Robinson, who confirmed that the two players had flown out last Thursday night, declined any further comment.