Joe: I’m used to plastic
Joe Aribo insists Rangers can’t use Kilmarnock’s plastic pitch as an excuse for only winning on three of their last 10 trips to Rugby Park.
And the midfielder admits there are times he prefers the fake surface to grass – because it’s all he knew growing up.
The London- born Nigerian international played 90 minutes in Gers’ 2-1 win at Rugby Park back in August.
And as they prepared for a crucial return visit on Wednesday night, with their title hopes in the balance, the 23-year- old said: “It’s still a flat pitch and we can still play on it, so it’s not an excuse.
“From previous results, you could say it’s more about the opposition than the pitch.
“I grew up playing on astro, that’s all I played on in my area. You could actually say it is better because you’re not going to get a bobble on a pass.
“That’s not to say they don’t vary. When it bounces it can stick but when it’s watered it can skid through.
“It takes a bit of time to get used to it but we have to be ready for it.”
Aribo admits Ianis Hagi’s late winner against Hibs in their last league game may have been a pivotal moment for Gers.
He said: “That one was massive – we needed that.
“We felt relief because it just hasn’t been going for us recently.
“We were just happy to get that win. That was more like us in the second half, we kept on pushing.
“It shows how we are as a team, our character and what we’re all about. We’ll never stop going.
“We keep pushing and f ighting regardless of what’s happening.”