No better place to start my pro career than at Ibrox: Vance
CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has urged his players to keep up the form they showed last Sunday and ensure things do not click into place for Hearts against his side.
The champions maintained their two-point lead in the Ladbrokes Premiership with a comfortable 2-0 win over Hibernian and travel to Tynecastle tonight.
Daniel Stendel has urged the Hearts fans to show more patience and support to the players after they vented their frustration during a 1-0 home defeat by St Johnstone in his first match in charge last Saturday.
The defeat left Hearts in the bottom two but Lennon knows they cannot afford to take their hosts lightly.
“They have got pedigree and quality players and experience, but for whatever reason it’s not happening for them,” Lennon said. “They have a new manager and he will need a bit of time to bed in his own principles and ideas on how he wants them to play.
“You just don’t know what sort of reaction you are going to get. They had a defeat in his first game but we know on their day
Hearts can be a handful for us.
“It’s our game in hand so it’s important we put five points between us and the rest.
“I want us to go and play like we did on Sunday, we played very well against a good side.
“And we know it only takes a flick of a switch to turn things round very quickly where Hearts are concerned, because they have got a decent squad.
“There has been a bit of turmoil and Daniel will need a bit of time to settle down and for the players to get to know him, but hopefully we can capitalise if there is any upset.”
Meanwhile, Scott Brown has said that the club have a gem in the form of Scott Robertson.
The 18-year-old (right) made his Bhoys debut in the Europa League defeat away to Cluj last week.
Despite the defeat, Robertson performed well for Celtic and Hoops boss Lennon singled him out for praise after the game.
Brown, who turns 35 in June, is in the twilight of his career.
But the Celtic captain has revealed that he’ll do anything he can to help the likes of Robertson progress.
He said: “He’s got a lovely touch and he’s a great lad, very humble. He works really hard. If I can help in any way I will do, but he’s going to have a lot more quality than I ever will and he’s shown that in Cluj already.” The defeat at Cluj was a dead-rubber for Celtic, who had already won their group en route to reaching the last-32.
But Robertson and other Lennoxtown graduates might find more first-team chances hard to come by because, well, every game matters for Lennon’s side.
The Bhoys are only two points above Rangers in the Premiership, while they’ll be challenging for a fourth successive Scottish Cup title in the New Year and the Ulsterman won’t have windows for the sort of experiments he conducted in Romania last week.
Scotland recently lost a Champions League place, meaning only Premier League winners Glasgow City have qualified for the tournament, but under new proposals to expand the competition, a runners-up place next year could be enough to see the Gers fulfil their European ambition.
Vance has plenty of the trophy-winning experience that Rangers require, having won league titles and a plethora of cups with Glentoran.
Aged 28, the midfielder told the Belfast Telegraph earlier this year that she feared her chance of a move across the water had gone after a four-year spell in Australia.
Now, however, she has been rewarded for a 2019 season that saw her crowned Premiership Women’s Player of the Year by the Northern Irish Football League.
“It has always been a dream of mine, obviously to play professional football as well, but to start with Rangers I couldn’t think of a better club,” she continued. “I have been a Rangers fan since I have been a kid so it is a dream.
“I think it will be a bit surreal. Playing with my friends in the street when I was younger I always used to wear a Rangers kit, so to be playing professionally at the club is a dream.”
Vance helped Glentoran lift the Irish Cup, League Cup and County Antrim Cup last term, scoring both goals in the 2-0 League Cup final victory over Sion Swifts.
“This year I really enjoyed my football and I was able to relax,” she said. “I found even more love for the game and hopefully I can continue that on.
“I’m pretty calm, I am a direct player and I like to get on the ball and try and take players on.
“In the last few years I have matured as a player, I can be versatile and have played a few positions so hopefully I can bring that experience into Rangers.”
The new campaign gets under way in February with Vance’s potential debut at home to Hearts on February 23.
Rangers Women’s and Girls’ football manager Amy McDonald said: “Demi is an excellent addition to this new-look squad and sets a brilliant precedent of the standard of player we are going to be bringing to the club.
“Demi is an established international, who is in the prime of her career and brings bags of experience and talent.”
Vance follows in the footsteps of four Linfield players who moved across the water earlier this year. Megan Bell joined Championship challengers Durham, while Lauren Perry, Louise McDaniel and Kelsie Burrows all signed for fellow second-tier side Blackburn Rovers.