Connor Goldson

[Vision 16,729]

CONNOR GOLDSON has revealed the extraordinary lengths he went through to ensure he didn’t miss out on the biggest game of his life.

Just 48 hours before last month’s Old Firm derby the Rangers defender was in so much pain he couldn’t walk.

He feared his dream of facing celtic had been crushed under the weight of a Darren McGregor challenge just a few days before.

Yet with the help of ice packs, rest and a cortisone injection, the 26- year-old made a remarkable recovery to stroll through Gers’ 1-0 win. Goldson revealed: “I was probably as professional as I ever have been for two days. It was a game I never wanted to miss. “I have said all along that I came up here for the big occasions, for big games of football.

It could have gone either way but I would have been gutted if I had been sitting in the stand watching. “The injury came right at the end of the first half against Hibs. I went up for a header with their centre back McGregor. He’s a big boy and landed on my ankle. “It was was my decision to come out for the second half. “It was probably silly but you just think that if you get running, it will wear off and you can play through it. “But afterwards I couldn’t move. I had bruising all round my Achilles, on both sides of my ankle. “When I woke up on the Thursday, I couldn’t even get out of bed. I couldn’t walk on it. “I wasn’t happy. I didn’t speak to my missus that morning. I was a little bit emotional. “She actually said to me ‘You need to get over it. If you’re not going to play, you’re not going to play, it’s not the end of the world’.

But I knew I had to play. Not for the team, but for me. “I wanted to play in that game. I did everything I could to make it. “Credit to the doctors and physios, they patched me up as much as they could. “I iced it 24/7 and tried to do everything I could to get it moving. Even in the warm-up, I wasn’t great. “I had the injection but as soon as the game kicked off, I didn’t feel a thing. “As a footballer, the adrenaline kicks in. “When you are hearing that noise and you are so focused on the game, you don’t have time to think about your ankle or whatever it is. “When you’re walking about the house, you are constantly thinking to yourself ‘Is it hurting or is it not?’.

But as soon as the whistle goes and you are out there, the drugs kick in and you just get on with the game and try to focus on football.” In the end, all the stress, all the worry and all the treatment proved worth it. Goldson and the rest of his Rangers team-mates savoured every second of the club’s first league win over celtic in almost seven years. Ryan Jack’s winner prompted wild scenes of celebration with Goldson pictured afterwards enjoying the acclaim of the Copland Road stand. He smiled: “The whole stand was bouncing. “As we were walking off the pitch, I just took a moment to appreciate it. “There are good times in football that you need to take in and there are bad times that you need to get rid of as quickly as you can. “So when the good times are there, I try to take them in.

I think my face said everything — I was just full of joy and happiness. “We knew how big that game was. We knew we had to turn up, and we did so. “That little bit after the game was just me taking in what it actually means to people. “The fans showed from the first whistle that when we play like that, they will back us 100 percent. “When we don’t, it can get little bit sticky. “It shows you that’s how we have to play because when we do play like that, we are difficult to play against and the whole stadium gets behind us.” The win ensures that Steven Gerrard’s men are firmly in the title mix, with the Rangers boss further enhancing his club’s challenge with the capture of Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis. Goldson said: “We have said from day one that we need to forget about this gap everyone talks about.

The new manager has to come in and close the gap to be successful. But we are a big club with a good team and, if we want to be successful, we need to aim as high as we can and get as many points as we can. “We have dropped a few points when we shouldn’t have this season but we are still very much in the mix.

We have given ourselves a great chance to try and be successful in the second half of the season. “Coming in now, the atmosphere is so good compared to what it might have been. “It was a really great game, great for us — and great for the supporters.

It’s probably the best we have played over 90 minutes. “We need to carry that on after the winter break.”

 

I fucking love that attitude, to win the title this season the player's are going to have to go through the pain barrier and give it their all.

 

[Laudrup1984 25,100]

Love that.

[bordersbear 1,105]

Guys face at the end said it all. 

[dee9 3,972]

Great read that. Attitude spot on from the big man.

Cannot fucking wait for the 2nd half of this season.

[johanhentze 14,089]

❤️ 

[Bearsden bear 2,376]

Precisely the kind of thing that has been missing over the last few years.

Real men prepared to give everything for the Jersey.

May God bless you big man!

[To Be A Ranger 4,032]

Great attitude. I suppose I owe Gerrard an apology for blaming him for sending an injured player back out on the pitch.

[ShanksRFC 3,869]

Great attitude and great signing.

[BlueKnight87 17,281]

The type of attitude you love in a player. 

[Bill8972 479]

What a great attitude!

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

Wait for the taigs crying cheat and wanting a drug test carried out. 😂😂

Good to see the big man will go above and beyond for the cause. 👍👍

[loyalfollower 1,543]

Was a big game but after it’s still 3 points the same as hibs or Livvi away is 3 points.

the win will mean nothing if we don’t start winning runs and end up behind them again

[Blueshoff 11,798]

7 minutes ago, Courtyard Bear said:

Wait for the taigs crying cheat and wanting a drug test carried out. 😂😂

Good to see the big man will go above and beyond for the cause. 👍👍

That was my first thought too! 😂

[graeme_4 34,441]

7 minutes ago, loyalfollower said:

Was a big game but after it’s still 3 points the same as hibs or Livvi away is 3 points.

the win will mean nothing if we don’t start winning runs and end up behind them again

Ok, everyone go back to sitting on their hands please. 

[Burts91 427]

9 minutes ago, loyalfollower said:

Was a big game but after it’s still 3 points the same as hibs or Livvi away is 3 points.

the win will mean nothing if we don’t start winning runs and end up behind them again

This is as much a '6 pointer' as they come. We lose we're 6 behind, potentially 9. Thankfully we pumped them.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

10 minutes ago, loyalfollower said:

Was a big game but after it’s still 3 points the same as hibs or Livvi away is 3 points.

the win will mean nothing if we don’t start winning runs and end up behind them again

I would disagree mate, that was a massive Jonah of our backs.

Yes it was only 3 points but it meant so much more. 

[big blue Fin 3,724]

Big man has the same strength of character that Terry Butcher had on the field.

[TopCat 4,511]

10 minutes ago, loyalfollower said:

Was a big game but after it’s still 3 points the same as hibs or Livvi away is 3 points.

the win will mean nothing if we don’t start winning runs and end up behind them again

Sorry,I get what you're trying to say mate but in no universe will that game ever mean nothing - even if we don't win the league.

 

That result meant the world to millions of Rangers supporters around the world.

[SeparateEntityMyArse 53,715]

He saw what it meant to us. He gets it now, what the club means to us, what the rewards can be from the support, what it means to play for and represent Rangers.

An unofficial captain in my eyes.

[Lloyd 10,756]

27 minutes ago, Courtyard Bear said:

I would disagree mate, that was a massive Jonah of our backs.

Yes it was only 3 points but it meant so much more. 

Aye that game was bigger than 3 points, it proved to the players we can beat them and it proved to them that we can beat them. Could have a massive impact on the season.

[giffnockger 4,840]

Canny wait to see the big man win the league with us. Been unreal (basically) every game this season! Hope Katic comes back to play beside him very soon...

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

Great read. 

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,540]

He's had some shaky moments playing wise this season, but already you can see his commitment to making us champions again is rock solid

He'd run through brick walls for us, granted the wall might peel away from him at first, but he'd still do it lol

[loyalfollower 1,543]

I was saying at the time that we needed the win but when I’m reading players going on about that win it’s as if they think the jobs done. About like the Scots semi win on pens. The team thought that they’d acheived something and it cost us the final.

id much prefer the players to down play the win as more often than not they slip up again.  

We needed the win but if as I say we slip up again before celtic then beating them means as much as hearts beating them.

[thebluedoo 2,652]