RYAN Jack dedicated his first Rangers goal to his daughter Madison last night – after admitting the four-year-old had been on his case about his lack of potency in front of goal. The former Aberdeen midfielder ran the length of Ibrox after steering in what proved to be the winner half an hour into yesterday’s Old Firm match, picking his family out in the crowd and sharing the moment with them.
While he cherished the best personal moment of his career, he was equally delighted simply to play his part in what was a genuine team effort from Rangers as they won their first Old Firm league match since March 2012.
“I was looking for my daughter,” said Jack. “She always asks me why I never score. I said to her that when I do score I would dedicate it to her, so that one was for her.
“I could see where she was sitting – her face was delighted,” he added. “I’m delighted too. I’m over the moon for the boys and the staff. Ryan [Kent] did excellently. He chopped back and saw me at the edge of the box. I just got my head over it, tried to hit the target and thankfully it went in.”
“Was that my best feeling in football? Yes, I’d say so. It’s definitely up there. What a feeling when you see the fans celebrating and what it means to them and the players on the pitch. Man for man, what a performance we put in. I think it was well deserved.”
Having lost 10 and drawn two of the last 12 Old Firm matches, Jack feels this long-awaited win has broken a mental barrier and bolstered belief the club can win back the Premiership title from Celtic. That was a point which was rammed home in meetings with manager Steven Gerrard in the days following the home draw with Hibs.
“We’ve overcome a psychological hurdle by winning today,” said Jack. “Around the city, wherever you go, everyone says they don’t care about other results – as long as you beat Celtic because it’s a must-win. So there’s an added pressure, no doubt. But to a man today, we dealt with that perfectly and we were well deserving of the three points.
“We had meetings in the last few days where the manager gave us belief. He told us we had nothing to fear, we’re at home with 51,000 people behind us. He told us to play with freedom and do what we do every day in training. We did that and we’re delighted.
“It’s three points that have got us level with Celtic, who still have a game in hand. But in terms of the title, it puts us in a better place. We’ve now got a break where we can reflect and get ready to hit the ground running when we come back. But it gives you belief that you can win it, of course it does. It’s been a long time since the club has won one of these games.”
As it turned out, little Madison Jack isn’t the only person who has been telling her daddy that it was time he weighed in with more goals. With Ross McCrorie anchoring the midfield, Steven Gerrard has been encouraging the 26-year-old to get forward more and get more shot in on the target.
“Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been getting closer and closer to getting a goal,” said Jack. “I just needed that wee bit more belief in the final third that I could get a goal and create chances. The manager has been great. He told me to get myself forward, play with freedom and do what I do in training every day. Thankfully it’s starting to pay off. Scoring in big games like that definitely gives you confidence.
Jack also praised Andy Halliday, the converted left back who shaded him in the man of the match stakes. Celtic’s last chance came and went with his last gasp block on an Olivier Ntcham shot. “He’s got that mental toughness in abundance and he’s had tough times here, especially in Old Firm games,” said Jack. “It doesn’t matter what situation he’s in, he’ll battle through and put his body on the line as you seen today. That was a gilt-edged chance for Celtic but he put his body in there.”
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