Rangers midfielder Connor Barron has declared his side will keep their foot firmly on the gas after a seismic victory at Celtic Park roared them back into the Scottish Premiership title race.
A Statement Victory Reshapes the Title Race
A dramatic 3-1 win away to their arch-rivals on Saturday propelled Rangers level on points with Celtic, with league leaders Hearts now holding a six-point advantage at the summit. This result marks a remarkable turnaround for the Ibrox club, who have erased a nine-point deficit to Celtic and were once a staggering 13 points behind Hearts earlier in the campaign.
Despite the euphoria of securing the most significant result of manager Danny Rohl's tenure so far, Barron was quick to emphasise the need for immediate focus. The squad now faces Aberdeen in consecutive matches over the coming week, a test of their consistency following a statement win.
Blocking Out the Noise and Building Belief
In previous seasons, Rangers have been accused of complacency after big wins, but Barron is confident this group will stay grounded. "Every win, you get that belief and you get that excitement, but this is just another win for us," stated the midfielder.
"It was obviously derby day and a lot of talk around the game, but you've got to block that out. You've got to go and do your job, which we did, and now we look forward to Aberdeen again, so it's taking it game by game."
He acknowledged the psychological boost, adding: "It definitely gives us belief. You always have to carry belief to win matches. That's just football. You've just got to block out the noise and concentrate on what we're good at as a team."
Barron admitted the team is aware of the league table's tight margins but insisted their concentration remains on the pitch. "Obviously nobody's stupid. We all look at the league table. We're all in football, but it's our job to stay focused. We don't concentrate on the table. We concentrate on what we've been working on."
Rohl's Half-Time Masterstroke Turns the Tide
The victory was far from straightforward. Rangers trailed 1-0 at the interval after a goal from Celtic's Yang Hyun-jun, following a disjointed first-half display where the hosts dominated.
The second half, however, was a complete reversal, with Rangers excellent and Celtic capitulating under pressure. Barron heaped praise on manager Danny Rohl for the tactical adjustments that sparked the comeback.
"Going behind wasn't nice, obviously, but at half-time we made a few tweaks tactically and in our formation," Barron revealed. "We got after them a lot better in the second half and it paid off. We tweaked the formation, which made us a bit more dominant going forward and a bit more of a threat in the transition."
He detailed the specific instructions, saying: "I felt, pressing-wise, we were a bit off it in the first half, so we got closer as well. All these little messages were in the changing room. But, as I say, it's little tweaks and all the boys picked up on it well and we went out there and done it."
Barron hailed the team's character to fight back, concluding: "The belief was there from the start and even when we go a goal down, we still believe we can get back in the game. It was real good character from the boys. I thought we showed real discipline at times and we seen the game out at the right moments."
