Bates: Florida trip has Blues ready to shine

was good for the team. I think we should have won it.

“I think the break maybe came at the wrong time, but you can see in the games that the confidence is still going right through the team.

“Everyone in the team knows it, the staff know it, the fans know we can do it as well. We just need to be more consistent in doing stuff like that.

“We have gone to Aberdeen, played Aberdeen at home, gone to Hibs, gone to Celtic, and they have all been good results.”

A season that started on the worst possible footing for Rangers, and Bates, has picked up at times as points have been earned against their main Premiership rivals.

The stopper was at the heart of the Gers defence for both legs of their Europa League exit at the hands of Progres Niederkorn and then spent several weeks out of action through injury.

But the appointment of Murty as manager has given him a second chance this season. After playing his part against Aberdeen, Hibernian and Celtic, it is one he is determined to continue making the most of.

Bates said: “It was just good to get back in the team. I was out for about 10 weeks at the start of the season so it was hard for me to get back in and around the team.

“The gaffer has come in and brought a new lease of life to the squad, especially me.

“Getting back in and playing, I am just trying to do my best and make it hard for him to drop me.

“He tells me that he trusts me to go in and do a good job. It gives me a lot of confidence if he says that to me.”

WITH Bruno Alves still receiving treatment on the calf injury he sustained in the Old Firm stalemate and Fabio Cardoso now seemingly behind him in the pecking order, there is a chance for Bates to establish himself at Ibrox in the second half of the campaign.

The 21-year-old partnered Danny Wilson at the back when he replaced Alves early on against Celtic and produced arguably the finest performance of his career.

That pairing could well be kept together when Rangers return to competitive action against Fraserburgh this weekend and Bates is keen for the relationship to go from strength to strength.

He said: “I know Danny well. I get on with him really, really well. He talks me through a lot of things and he’s a good guy to speak to.

“You think he is a lot older than he is. He is only 26 but he has been around the game for a long time. He’s been there when he was younger. He can help me through it.”