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One of the big positives of Tuesday night’s last-gasp win over Aberdeen was the sight of Connor Goldson in a Rangers jersey once again.
Despite taking part in just two training sessions since injuring his thigh in the Champions League clash with Liverpool in October, the vice-skipper played the entire game at Pittodrie and had a helping hand in the winning goal.
There is no question Rangers have missed his leadership qualities and presence in the last two months, so much so that it probably contributed to Giovanni van Bronckhorst losing his job.
But with a challenging run of fixtures coming up over the festive period, his return is most welcome.
Interestingly, speaking after the 3-2 win Goldson admitted it was a game they would’ve struggled to come back in prior to Michael Beale’s return to Ibrox.
He told Rangers TV: "It obviously wasn't pretty, but again it's three points.
"We said in there, in probably the last two games, in the last six or eight weeks, we probably wouldn't have won those games. I've obviously been watching from the stands.
"Hopefully now we can get a bit of confidence back as a whole group and start picking up three points more often.
"It hasn't been nice, when we've conceded goals it's looked like we can't come back into games.
"Obviously the boys have tried their best but it hasn't happened. We haven't created chances, whereas today we kept going and luckily got two chances and Scotty put them away."
You can never accuse Goldson of a lack of honesty and his post-match comments highlight that. It's comforting to know there is an acknowledgement from the squad that it was far from a vintage Rangers display but given the turmoil of the last few months, it’s all about picking up points and keeping in touch with the league leaders.
Wins breed confidence and momentum and there is no doubt dramatic victories like the one we witnessed on Tuesday will lift the spirits within what has been a largely beleaguered dressing room.
The mere presence of Goldson in said dressing room will boost morale. Beale touched on his influence prior to the Aberdeen game when he said: “He’s a strong voice.
“I think we all saw that in the season when there were no fans in the stadium. All you could hear was Connor moaning but that’s actually quite a good thing because he gives the personality to the team.”
READ MORE: Michael Beale must fix Rangers' key vulnerability despite comeback
The Rangers boss also discussed his return following Tuesday’s game in which he admitted he wouldn’t have risked him if he didn’t trust him as much as he does.
This highlights an understanding and respect between manager and player that can only bode well going forward.
If Rangers are to navigate past Ross County, Motherwell and Celtic they need their big players on the park and Goldson is very much the glue that holds the back four together. He did say he was knackered after Tuesday night so it remains to be seen if he can recover in time to feature in Dingwall but he is someone who will be itching to retain his place from here on in.
Question marks still remain about this Rangers squad and whether it’s robust enough to claw back a nine-point deficit but the return of Goldson offers a glimmer of hope there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
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