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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

3 talkers as Rangers secure much-needed win over Hearts at Ibrox

A much-needed win for the club

And breathe… that was a nervy ending at Ibrox. Rangers managed to hang on to three-points in the end in what was much-needed victory for the club. It was mainly a big win for Van Bronckhorst, though. The Dutchman has rightly come under intense scrutiny for the club’s recent poor form both in Europe and domestically. After the loss to St Johnstone at the weekend, various fan groups were calling for him to go. It became clear in the aftermath that he’d be going nowhere until at least the World Cup break commencing this weekend. The win gets Rangers back on track, and ensures the gap to Celtic didn’t increase beyond seven-points. A bit of positivity was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Tillman undoubtedly a bright spark

Much has been made of Rangers’ recruitment during the summer. The American international has to be regarded as a successful signing, despite the criticism that has been aimed at Van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson’s way. Wednesday night was his fourth of the season from midfield. He finished off a lovely move which was unsurprisingly created on the left by Kent and Barisic. It was a neat finish, which capped off a fine evening for the on-loan Bayern Munich youngster. He had a few other good chances, too. When he’s on it, Tillman is clearly a highly talented player, one who Rangers need to get the best out of for the rest of the season.

Matondo given rare start

The Wales international has only featured in nine Premiership games so far this campaign, with very few of them being from the start. However, Van Bronckhorst handed him a rare opportunity to impress in the first XI. He was drafted in on the right wing for the injured Fashion Sakala. He had some nice touches of the ball and clearly has a burst of pace. However, he never really got into the game. That was highlighted when he was substituted on the hour-mark for Scott Wright. Not the bets night at the office, but he was feeding off scrapes on the right really.

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