Goldson: 'Happy' Rangers squad treating Old Firm clash as a 'must win'

Connor Goldson says Rangers are treating this weekend’s Old Firm clash as a “must win” but insists there is still a long way to go before anything is decided.

The defender says there is a “lot of happy boys” in the dressing room at the minute with the form they have picked up under manager Philippe Clement bringing back a feelgood factor.

But he knows that could suffer a blow if they lose to their biggest rivals again at home on Sunday.

Celtic took all six points from the previous two derbies this season, with a 1-0 win at Ibrox and 2-1 victory at Parkhead, and currently sit one point at the top of the Premiership, albeit with Rangers having a game in hand.

As well as going four points clear at the top, a win could provide a big phycological blow for Clement’s side going in to their final seven games that will include another trip to the east-end of Glasgow.

But Goldson insists there wasn’t much between the sides in the first two Old Firms and says they are aiming to be more clinical this weekend.

He said: “I think the first one, probably nothing in the game, they get the winner and the second one, they were more clinical in the moments that they had.

“That is something that, in an Old Firm game, you have to be and you have to take your chances when they come.

“It is never usually a match full of chances, especially the tighter ones.

“When our own opportunities come we need to be clinical and we need to limit them if possible.”

If Rangers get the win it will see them leapfrog the Hoops back into pole position and go two points clear with the chance to make it five when they play their game in hand against Dundee on Wednesday day that would put them firmly in the driving seat.

A draw would leave the title-race on a knife-edge and too close to call, but Goldson insists they will be treating it as a must win.

He said: “Obviously we go into it treating it as a must-win game but at the same time, I still think it is not going to decide anything.

“I think we are in a good place, we have been on a good run of form over the last few months.

“The manager has been here now for a longer period of time and the boys are settled with that and learning from him every day has been good.

“The group has come together more as a whole group, a lot of players have been used over this period and there are a lot of happy boys in there.

“We just need to continue what we have been doing, work hard every single day and hopefully that gets us to where we want to be.”