RUSSELL MARTIN was proud of his Rangers squad as a 94th minute winner from Max Aarons secured three points in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.
James Tavernier broke the deadlock in the first-half, before Livingston drew level midway through the second 45, but Martin praised his side’s togetherness as they left West Lothian with the victory.
Speaking to RangersTV at full-time, Martin said: “I said before the game how much I feel they are growing in spirit and togetherness, they are running so hard, fighting so hard for each other, for us as a coaching staff and for the team.
“I am really proud of them, we are probably the best we have been for the first 45 minutes, we played some brilliant football, we should've scored probably three goals, but we didn't which is frustrating and then the game is very different.
“We didn't have enough control in the second-half, the pitch got a bit sticky, and the opposition became a bit more aggressive and then maybe there were chances to turn them more and really hurt them in behind, but we didn't play and move well enough.
“The gap between the first half and the second was too big so that is something we need to improve but we deserved to win. We deserved to win because of the first-half performance, their willingness to run and keep going, and I am really delighted for the players that they got the win they deserved.
“I think it will be a huge day for us, on Thursday night it was frustrating, we had a red card but there were some good moments in that game, Hibs we played well and today was the best football we probably played so it would've been nice to get another goal and make it convincing.
“We just need to close that gap from when we are really good to when we are not so good. The gap needs to be shortened, and we really need to understand why. We didn't show enough care on the ball or enough intensity, so it's not separate. It becomes harder for us when we don't control the game enough, but in the second-half some of the performances were outstanding.”
Martin was full of praise for his players, and hopes the victory can be a catalyst for the group moving forward. He added: “Some of the one touch stuff we played in the first-half was outstanding. I thought Connor Barron was brilliant and I thought Tav was outstanding.
“I could name a lot of people, the subs had a real impact, and we are going to need everyone, I am proud of the players because they are showing how together they are.
“I hope winning today will be the catalyst for us as a team, it needs to be, we need to make sure we grow and improve and really kick on from this.
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