HARIS Vuckic today revealed the secret behind his scoring record at Ibrox - and vowed to keep his incredible run going when Rangers take on Queen of the South in Govan on Sunday.

Vuckic has played in eight games at the famous stadium since arriving on loan from Newcastle United three months ago.

And the Slovenian internationalist's haul from those home outings? A significant return of eight goals.

The versatile midfielder struck on his Gers debut against Raith Rovers in a last- 16 Scottish Cup tie back in February.

The 22-year-old was unable to prevent his new side from crashing to a 2-1 defeat - their first against Raith at Ibrox in over 55 years - that day.

However, it was the start of Vuckic's personal love affair with the stadium; he has hit the target with frightening regularity ever since.

He has scored in SPFL Championship games against Queen of the South, Livingston, Hearts, Raith and Falkirk and bagged a double against Cowdenbeath.

The only occasion the one-time AC Milan target failed to register a goal was in the 2-0 defeat to Hibs in what was only his second appearance for the Glasgow club.

Vuckic, whose stint at Rangers will end when they either get beaten in the SPFL Premiership play-offs or win promotion, has not been especially prolific in the past.

He scored just four times for English League One club Rotherham during a six-month loan spell at the New York Stadium last season.

The campaign before that he failed to make his mark altogether as he only made two competitive appearances for United - including one against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

And the season before that he came off the bench and grabbed the winner against Greek club Atromitos at St James' Park to fire his team into the Europa League group stages. But he only got his name on the scoresheet once after that after being farmed out to English Championship club Cardiff City.

So why, all of a sudden, has he discovered his touch in the final third?

How can someone score nine times in 17 games after doing the same thing on only six occasions in his entire professional career before that? And what exactly is it about Ibrox that brings out the best in him?

The man who has become a firm supporters' favourite since moving to Scotland today told SportTimes why he thrives in his new surroundings.

"I had only scored one goal for Newcastle and a few here and there for other clubs before I joined Rangers" he said.

"But here I have scored nine goals, most of them with my left foot. I have also scored eight goals at Ibrox. I like the space I have at Ibrox. The pitch is very wide and large and the playing surface is always in very good condition. I think that helps bring out the best in me.

"When I go to the other grounds around Scotland, I don't have as much room to manoeuvre because the stadiums are smaller and the pitches are far tighter.

"But that is not the case at Ibrox. I have far more space so I can drive forward with the ball at my feet and position myself to score."

Vuckic, who intends to return to Newcastle in the summer and fight for a regular place next season, has admitted he also responds to the backing the Rangers supporters give him in home games.

The fact the second leg of the Premiership play-off quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday is set to attract a 51,000 sell-out crowd, then, pleases him.

Rangers officials have set ticket prices for the match with Queens - who they lead 2-1 after the first leg at Palmerston Park on Saturday - at just £5.

That was a result of the SPFL, who will take 50 per cent of all ticket monies due to a controversial ticket levy, refusing to allow them let their season ticket holders in for free.

The second tier club's internet website has gone into meltdown with Gers fans trying to snap up briefs since the deal was announced.

And the ticket office in the grounds of the stadium has also had a continuous stream of visitors in the last five days.

"The fans really help me," said Vuckic. "They give me a massive boost. I am the kind of player who just wants to score goals. I am a striker and I want to score every time I play. When the fans cheer your name it is an amazing feeling.

"The atmosphere at Ibrox in big games is fantastic. I think that maybe helped me score when Hearts came to play us.

"There were over 40,000 supporters in the stadium that day and I think it was important to us. It helped us play the way we wanted to and get a great win."

Vuckic added: "We played well and got a great result against Queen of the South away from home on Saturday.

"But they are a very good team and we will have to play well if we want to overcome them at Ibrox and go through to the semi-final with Hibs.

"They drew 1-1 with us the last time we played them at home so that shows they are capable of coming and getting a result.

"But having a full-house will help us and hopefully I can play my part in helping the team to get the result we all want."