Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Robbie Hanratty

Jack Butland delivers man of the match performance in Rangers’ win over Hearts

Jack Butland was delighted to play his part in Rangers "getting the result they needed" by defeating Heart of Midlothian 3-1 at Tynecastle.

Butland produced a man of the match performance by pulling off several top saves to ensure Rangers returned to winning ways. The result sees the Light Blues remain 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership standings, with Philippe Clement's team showing glimpses of promise against their Gorgie hosts despite having fewer possession and shots in the 90 minutes.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Rangers goalkeeper said: "It was needed obviously after the weekend. We have had some good results of late but we've had too too many like the weekend just gone.


Read more: 


"So, it's been a frustrating week. It's been a difficult week for fans, players alike. It was really important today that we got a win, it didn't matter how. 

"I thought at times we were really good. At times we were a bit sloppy and gave them a bit too much time and space to play but the boys were clinical. 

"I thought the defending all bar one situation, obviously the goal, I thought the boys stood up. It's difficult to do that when you've been here and know what's expected. When you are winning you can be on the highest of highs and it's the end of the world when you lose and have results like last weekend. Some of the boys needed to feel that to know this is what Rangers is all about, this is how it needs to be, this is how much it needs to hurt.

"You come to a team that's in a bit of form, picked up a bit of confidence lately, and they were I imagine expecting to turn us over today. So, the message was simple in the changing room that couldn't happen. 

"I thought the boys stood up, there's things we can do better of course, but a really important result.

"It's been a difficult season for us all. There's been some incredible moments but there's also been some difficult ones. I'm the first person to look at myself and across the time I've been here I think I've performed at a top level, and there's been moments where I feel I needed to do better. So, for me, there's been a big internal focus on trying to perform and do my job the best I can for this team.

"Sometimes I've been caught and carried away with trying to help others and dealings with things where I should just focus on myself. With that we can get results. Like I said, I'm happy with performance, the boys should be happy with theirs. We got the result we needed and we've got to build on this now."

Rangers were pegged back to 1-1 by Hearts' Michael Steinwender just after the interval, and Butland pointed out how his team need to become more clinical going forward.

"I think if you look back at it, there were moments where we could've killed the game off a lot earlier. When you don't do that you always run the risk of a situation. They've got great ability, they've got great size in the box and we fall short in that moment. It can be a difficult place if you don't bounce back and show a bit of composure. 

"I felt we did that, I felt we made good decisions after that, and ultimately the quality ends up showing. We could've been tidier and put the game to bed earlier but it was a professional performance and I think the boys deserve credit today. It was nothing less than what was required."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.