THEY had the best views of the action at home and away. Now Michael O’Halloran and Harry Forrester want to be at the heart of it.
Their seasons petered out in different ways but the feelings of frustration and disappointment were shared. As O’Halloran found himself in and out of Mark Warburton’s plans and unable to feature in the run to the Scottish Cup final, Forrester saw his campaign come to a premature end through injury.
It meant neither of them could take to the field against Celtic at Hampden or play in the final against Hibernian as Warburton struggled for numbers and Rangers capitulated in the closing minutes. There was no title party for Forrrester, either, with his last action coming against Peterhead in Petrofac Training Cup final.
On Wednesday night, both showed glimpses of what they could add to Rangers next season, though. It was O’Halloran who helped Warburton’s side break the deadlock against Charleston Battery, his direct run into the area allowing Josh Windass to open the scoring at the MUSC Health Stadium. Minutes later, Forrester clinched the win with a neat finish from the edge of the area.
Having seen the likes of Windass, Niko Kranjcar and Joey Barton arrive this summer, and with another forward to come, both players face a fight to get a starting jersey on a regular basis. With half a season at Ibrox now behind him following his move from St Johnstone, O’Halloran can now look forward to the future.
"I was still settling into the squad last season after coming in back in January,” O’Halloran said. “It also didn't help that I was cup tied and that meant I was in and out of the side. That wasn't ideal for me but now I am getting a full pre-season under my belt. There are no distractions but now I can work hard and be fully focuses on playing my part next season.
"Is the aim to establish myself as a starter? Definitely. We have a good squad and we've brought in good players which makes for good competition. But I want to play every week and I am going to work my hardest to show the gaffer what I can bring to the side. I'm going to try my best to do that.
"As a footballer that's what you want. You want to be starting every week. I think it's healthy we have a good squad and everyone is fighting for shirts.”
With their first friendly minutes of the new campaign completed, attentions are now fixed on the first competitive outing for Rangers. A routine but deserved 2-1 win over the Battery may not be a high-profile warm-up but it was needed for Warburton’s side as the build-up continues to the Betfred Cup opener at Motherwell next weekend.
It could be the start of another run to a final, another shot at silverware. Having missed out on the big occasions last term, Forrester is now determined to play his part this term.
“I was devastated - it’s no secret that the Old Firm games and then the cup final were matches I wanted to be involved in,” he said: “But it gave me an opportunity to go away and get stronger and come back better. It wasn’t nice to watch those games, I’m never keen on watching, it’s hard but the boys were great and it’s good we’ve made some additions. The competitions for places is vital and we’ve all got to kick on now.
“I was playing the week before so it felt strange - I had one eye on that big game against Celtic and wherever you went people were talking about it. So for me not to play in it and be watching it was hard but it made me realise there are four more this year and it’s not about one game, it’s about me and the club pushing forward with big steps, just as we did last season.”
It may not have been the Old Firm occasion that Forrester was hoping for but, like the rest of those in Warburton’s squad who experienced the fixture for the first time, it was a day to remember for the 25-year-old.
It was a taster of what lies ahead in the coming months. If Rangers are to challenge for the Premiership crown, there must be further derby successes for Forrester to savour.
“It was a great occasion,” he said. “A lot was made of it but for us it was another football game and we showed that. That’s gone now, we’ve got to look forward. We’re back where we belong and it’s a good start tonight. We’ve always had belief from within, no matter who we played - we showed it against Dundee and other teams in the top flight. We knew what we had inside then and we do know what we’ve got inside now so it’s up to us to go and showcase that.”
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