James Tavernier fires warning to Rangers squad that no more slip ups can happen after dropping points to Motherwell as the title race heats up.
The Light Blues face league leaders Hearts at Ibrox this Sunday in what is set to be a blockbuster fixture.
Danny Rohl’s men trail the Jambos by five points in the league and have lost to them in the last two occasions.
The Gers looked like they were set to get all three points against the Steelmen until Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh scored an equaliser late on.
Speaking after the draw at Fir Park, the Ibrox captain said all eyes are on Sunday to get the three points against Derek McInnes’ side:
“We’ve had ups and downs this season and then I felt that as young as the squad is, they’ve really come round and really grew as a group.
“But these are the pivotal moments in the season now, where you come down to the last stretch and you’re in the title race. So you can’t afford to have slip-ups like Wednesday night so we know it was a missed opportunity.
“Now we have to respond and get three points at home on Sunday.”
The Rangers Hall of Famer was frustrated at the chances the Govan club missed but is hoping for Ibrox to be rocking and packed to the rafters this Sunday:
“We knew it would be a difficult game on Wednesday night. Motherwell have been in form and they obviously like to keep the ball. We probably conceded that we weren’t going to have much of it so we had to make sure we were solid for all of the game.
“We missed some really good chances and then we have to defend better as a team to see the game out. Look, when Ibrox is rocking it makes a massive difference.
“But it’s down to us to get that from the fans. They expect us to perform and they’ll give it back in return. It goes both ways.
“Obviously we want them right behind us from the get-go. There’s been comments about when balls go out of play or mis-placed passes, the crowd won’t be.
“But it’s down to us to set standards and show the performance levels fans want to see. We both have a responsibility but the players need to take the lead on that. On the weekend, we need to do that.”
