We were the top scorers in Scotland last year... there’s no need for fans to panic about shot-shy start We had a lead from the first game and worked our gameplan perfectly CONNOR GOLDSON
RANGERS defender Connor Goldson has told Light Blues fans to keep their calm as the goals will soon come. Steven Gerrard’s charges moved into the second qualifying round of the Europa League last night after a goalless draw with FK Shkupi. It gave them a 2-0 aggregate win but the return in Skopje should have been made so much easier as Rangers once again scorned chance after chance in front of goal. Ultimately, they never looked in great danger and were nowhere near the shock of last season, when Pedro Caixinha’s side were humiliated by Progres Niederkorn at a similar stage of the tournament. Gerrard declared himself pleased with his side’s game management. Aside from a late chance from the Macedonians and a flurry of first-half corners, Gers’ defence never looked likely to be breached.
But he admitted his marksmen must be sharper in front of goal, with Alfredo Morelos, Josh Windass and Jamie Murphy suffering an off-night against the side that finished fourth in the Macedonian league last season.
Former Brighton star Goldson, who has brought leadership to the centre of the defence, insists there is no great cause for worry so early in the new campaign.
Rangers are also set to bolster
their attacking options in time for the next round in Croatia or Moldova with Nigerian frontman Umar Sadiq.
Goldson said: “Sharpness in front of goal will come soon. We were the top goalscorers in Scotland last season and that hasn’t gone out of our game overnight.
“We’re only in pre-season and people are still shaping up. It’s inevitable there will be a little rung rustiness but it was only the second 90 minutes of the campaign for several of the lads out there tonight.
“It will come. We’ve got boys with a lot of talent and when they
get a few games under their belt they’ll get back to the form we know they can produce.”
Goldson insists camaraderie among a new group of players will build further on the back of progressing to the next round.
He was also at pains not to pin the blame for his side’s failure to win on the forwards, insisting they helped contribute to an overall positive team display.
He said: “It was a professional job. We knew what we had to do, which was show confidence on the ball and let them try to break us down. We had a good lead from the first game and worked our gameplan perfectly.
“There weren’t really any nervous moments in the game for us, possibly apart from the chance at the end when the lad got down the side and Allan made a good save.
“Remember, by that stage in the game there were a few tired legs in our side. We managed the game brilliantly over the 90 minutes in terms of the way we approached the match and in the manner we wanted to play.
“We did that very well. We were told there were no excuses for the conditions or any of the other elements surrounding the game – a different ball, heat or a pitch. It didn’t matter.
“There was nothing we could change and it was the same for both teams. We had to play our own game and we knew they would find it tough to break us down if we kept our shape and played the way we knew we could.
“We did that really well and Ryan Jack, in particular, was immense. He really helped us out in the middle of the park.
“Results like that help breed good team spirit at a club as well as a winning mentality, which we all want to show for Rangers.
“We want to bring that back – clean sheets organisation and solid displays. We’ve started off really well but there is still a long way to go.
“Defensively we are getting there. The clean sheets are breeding confidence. It’s not just about the forwards, everyone did their job today and the front four worked really hard to stop the ball coming down our way. They were also helped by Ross and Ryan sitting in front of us in the midfield.”
This time last year Rangers were already a club in crisis but Goldson insists he is happy with the way the team are heading under Gerrard, even if he confessed to being surprised by the quality at times of Shkupi.
He said: “These ties can be a difficult, we’re only a few games into the season.
“They were better than we gave them credit for in the first leg, stronger and more organised.
“But the game worked out perfectly – we didn’t panic and we looked strong. Now we’re looking forward to the next stage of the competition.”