John Souttar was the fall guy after his Old Firm debut at Parkhead. But on Saturday he put Celtic on the deck with his first goal for Rangers.
The defender was devastated in April when his glaring error allowed Jota to score in a 3-2 Premiership win for the Hoops. But Souttar redeemed himself at Ibrox, as Michael Beale’s side finally came out on top in the derby with a 3-0 victory. The Scotland centre-back’s bullet header in the 34th minute gave Gers a two-goal lead after Todd Cantwell had broken the deadlock early on.
Fashion Sakala sealed the points later on to send Rangers fans home happy. But his goal was a huge moment for Souttar after an injury-ravaged campaign. After signing from Hearts in the summer, he was crocked in his first league game at Livingston and missed a large chunk of the season. Now he’s back and firmly in Beale’s plans for next term.
Souttar admits it was painful after he gifted Celtic a goal across the city a month ago. That’s why he savoured his moment yesterday after rising to meet a James Tavernier corner and score past Joe Hart.
Souttar said: “When I was asked how bad I felt after the game at Celtic Park at the time, I said it was about how I reacted. There will always be moments like that in football when you think it’s the end of the world.
“But it’s important you stay in the middle, whether it’s good or bad. There will be different moments and it’s about how you bounce back. The feeling now is obviously a lot better than what I experienced at Parkhead.
“I enjoyed that. It has been a frustrating season for myself and the team so to get that goal was a big moment for myself and Rangers. It was a good feeling to score. That’s why you play football, to score big goals like that.
“Thankfully I managed to do it today. Because of all the frustration, it just adds to how much the goal means. When you’ve been out for so long, you dream of moments like that. That’s what keeps you going in football. That’s why you keep working hard – days like that.”
Beale has already said Rangers will undergo their biggest revamp in years this summer. A raft of players will come and go as the Englishman looks to reshape the side and challenge Celtic for trophies.
But Souttar know he will be going nowhere. The manager is a long-time admirer and the player himself believes he’s now getting back to his best form.
After a disappointing season all round at Ibrox which saw them fail to pick up a single piece of silverware, Souttar insists that the derby performance and result MUST be a catalyst for a more fruitful campaign next season. He said: “I feel like I’m slowly getting back to my best. It’s always difficult when you don’t have that pre-season behind you.
“But I’ve done a lot of work in the gym and at the training ground with the staff to get myself back to a level where I can perform to the best of my ability. It’s my third or fourth start since I’ve come back so it’ll take time but I felt good out there. That has to be a glimpse into the future for Rangers under this manager.
“You don’t want to look too much at the result – it was obviously massive but it has to be a glimpse into the future. This season hasn’t been good enough, we all know that. Next year it has to be a lot better.”
With no silverware left to play for, most people were calling the last Old Firm derby of the season a dead rubber. But Rangers were outstanding at Ibrox yesterday and fully deserved their three points – and the acclaim of the supporters.
Souttar says Beale’s dressing-room was full of hungry players trying to prove people wrong ahead of a summer of change. And he praised the Ibrox crowd for the atmosphere they created, insisting that had a big bearing on the outcome.
Souttar said: “This was a huge game for everyone in that dressing-room today. There will be a lot of changes in the summer, the manager has already said that, so everyone had a point to prove today, individually and collectively.
“I think you saw that today. Whether you started or came off the bench, it was 11 boys with a point to prove. The atmosphere was electric and that helped the players.
“The way we started the game helped with that. We were on the front foot and aggressive and the crowd came with us. It showed that if we play like that, they’ll follow us. When they do that, it’s massive for us.”
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