OLWETHU Makhanya is relishing his first taste of the Old Firm this weekend.
The defender has enjoyed a positive start to life in Glasgow since his summer arrival from the MLS, as he gears up for the famous derby for the first time in the upcoming Premier Sports Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
Speaking to the media in this afternoon’s press conference, he shared his excitement at having potential involvement; he said: “I think everyone understands what this fixture means to the club, to the fans and everyone.
“I am really excited and looking forward to it.
“There has been a lot of talking about the fixture, about the history of the derby, but I don't really look into all that.
“Of course we just have to try and do our job and deliver because we know the fans are going to be behind us, so we are going to use them as an encouragement.
“Also understand that we are also doing it for them; they are going to be very helpful for us.”
The South African has built up a strong central defensive pairing alongside Emmanuel Fernandez in recent weeks, which has seen Rangers claim four wins in succession, conceding just once, as he spoke of his early start to life settling in new surroundings.
He continued: “I feel like defensively there is a very good partnership between me and Fernandez, James [Penrice] from the left and obviously Dujon [Sterling].
“To be honest, before I even came here, I always felt like I could play at this level and at a high level.
“I wouldn’t say I'm surprised because coming in I already had the belief that I would do well.
“I would say so far so good. I feel like I have been settling in very well.”
The Gers produced a dramatic last-gasp win with a 1-0 success over St Mirren on Wednesday evening, with the 22-year-old hopeful that the feel-good factor amongst the squad at the minute can stand them in good stead as they target a last four place this Sunday lunchtime.
He added: “Looking at Wednesday night's game, I think it does highlight the fact that maybe the group is strong mentally to go from the first minutes of the game and just keep on going.
“Even though we created chances, we couldn't take them, but we just kept on going until we scored in the last minutes of the game.
“That shows a lot of mentality and character from the boys.
“I think we showed a lot of togetherness and something that we have been working on even like off the field.
“Spending time together, getting to understand one another. It is going to be very important in the long run.”
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