Todd Cantwell denied Reo Hatate a drink of water as Celtic toasted Scottish Cup success. Now he wants to keep the champagne away from them and give Rangers a reason to celebrate.
The Englishman bizarrely found himself at the centre of a social media storm - one that was brewed and deserved to stay in a teacup - in the aftermath of the defeat at Hampden last month.
Cantwell moved a physio bag belonging to the Rangers medical staff out of the reach of Hatate as he tried to take a bottle during an injury stoppage that saw Malik Tillman receive treatment.
The fall-out from his actions has bemused Cantwell. But his words in an exchange with Callum McGregor at the whistle will be a source of intrigue at Ibrox and Parkhead.
"Listen, I feel like you can’t really breathe wrongly up here and it makes the media," Cantwell said. "The way I look at it, if we had a player down or they had a player down and the physio had come on and I had gone over to McGregor and asked for a drink of water, I can imagine what he would have said to me. I think I was quite polite to be honest.
"Listen, it is a healthy rivalry. They have come out on top this year so I am in a position where I can’t really speak too much.
"I respect what they have done but, listen, next year that is where we want to be. We want to be up there and I was just reminding him that we are on our way."
Cantwell will play in the fourth Old Firm fixture of his short Rangers career this afternoon as Michael Beale's side target their first derby win of another unsuccessful campaign.
The playmaker has made a positive impression following his move from Norwich City and he will be one of the driving forces in the squad that are aiming to overhaul the Hoops next term.
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A derby win would be the smallest of consolations for Rangers but Cantwell is determined to finally get off and running against the newly-crowned champions.
Cantwell said: “I don’t think at Rangers Football Club we should gauge it on being how far we think we are.
“The important thing is that we continue to build in the right direction. It’s no secret that we’re going through a bit of a rebuild.
“Once we get to the stage where everyone is starting to get the game plan and understanding it, I think you’ll see us get closer and hopefully start to become the dominant side.
“I’ve enjoyed [the Old Firm games] but I haven’t enjoyed the results. I can’t stand here and say it’s been a get experience and all the rest. I’m here to win games and that’s what’s expected at Rangers.
“I just think the fans can see whether you care or not. They’re not naive. They can see it.
“You can say loads of things in the media before a game. You can say whatever you like really.
“If they don’t see it, they can’t believe it so for me it’s just actioning what I feel."
That rebuild will see boss Beale overhaul the Light Blues squad during the summer as stalwarts of previous seasons move on and fresh faces are brought into Ibrox sooner rather than later.
💫 A thumping volley from Todd Cantwell#cinchPrem | @RangersFC pic.twitter.com/8wgmJyldXg
— SPFL (@spfl) May 8, 2023
Cantwell and Nico Raskin were the first pieces of the jigsaw to be put in place on Beale's watch and the former Canaries star is encouraged by the work that is going on behind the scenes ahead of the new campaign.
"Definitely," Cantwell said when asked if he was excited about the imminent arrivals. "I think the fans have been reasonably happy with Nico and me since we arrived. I am sure they will be excited to see who else we get through.
READ MORE: Alex Lowry has the 'drive' to catch Michael Beale's eye at Rangers
"The manager and me had very clear and honest conversations about what the future looked like. The manager is ultimately the one that makes all the decisions. It is nice to be in the loop with it.
"We have had a couple of discussions [about potential signings]. This is where the manager will go with his gut feelings.
"A few people might have warned him away from me! It is definitely down to the manager."
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