Rangers captain Dan Neil is confident his side can maintain their momentum through the international break after a 2-0 win over St Mirren extended their unbeaten run to 12 games. The victory in Paisley keeps Derek McInnes' side moving in the right direction as they prepare for a busy end to 2026 and the chance to lift their first major honour of the season.
While a dozen of Neil's colleagues head off to join their national teams, the South Shields-born midfielder will stay at Auchenhowie with a skeleton squad of youngsters and those not called up. Neil, who scored the crucial second goal against the Buddies, acknowledged the break has both pros and cons.
Neil's view on the break
"There's definitely pros and cons to international breaks," Neil said. "It's a chance to recharge your batteries a little bit after a decent run of games. But it can also halt your momentum too. However, I think it's important that you take the positives out of the break."
He added: "We can rest and recover ahead of the tough winter months. Hopefully all the boys come back unscathed and have good games with their international teams. In the meantime, the rest of us will be working hard at the training ground as well as having a few days off and we'll come back ready to fire again."
Focus on the cup final
Neil is thrilled Rangers have already booked a return ticket to Hampden for the Premier Sports Cup final against Hibs on December 13. The match offers McInnes and his men the chance to claim the first silverware at Ibrox in three years.
"Yes, 100 per cent, I'm sure we'll relay that message when all the boys are back together," he said. "We've got a decent run of five games until the final. It's a great chance for us to build some momentum again after a break, going into that final. Like I said, we take one game at a time."
Away form improvement
Rangers were sent on their way to the win after Ryan Naderi tucked home a first-half penalty, with Neil's deflected strike clinching the points. Goalkeeper Ivor Pandur made a couple of big stops late on to ensure a more satisfying journey back to Ibrox than recent frustrating trips to Dundee and Hearts.
Neil said: "One of the big things we spoke about again, other than the clean sheets, is coming away from home and putting in a good performance. The last two away results and performances really haven't been us. It was important that we didn't have another one of them going into the break and have it lingering over us."
Neil was back leading the side after being dropped to the bench for last week's League Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen. He justified his selection by scoring his third goal of the season, following up on his derby double against Celtic in September.
"I didn't feel so much that I had a point to prove," the captain said. "I think whenever I'm picked to play, whether that's off the bench or starting, I'm going to do everything I can to help the team. Thankfully, that chance dropped to me on Saturday. It could have been absolutely anyone, but thankfully it was me. It wasn't the cleanest of strikes, but we take them."
