CLINT HILL walked out of the Ibrox tunnel and knew what was expected of Rangers. He and his team-mates returned to the dressing room having failed to deliver and meet the standards that are demanded.
Now, the defender is targeting victory in Dundee to kick-start the Light Blues’ title bid and banish the memories of their opening day falter on home soil.
After the unfurling of the Championship flag and the fireworks in front of a capacity Ibrox crowd, Mark Warburton’s side couldn’t cap the occasion with three points against Hamilton.
It took a Martyn Waghorn strike in the second half to pull the Gers level but there was to be no late winner as the first two points of the campaign were dropped.
Rangers had targeted a quick start to the season to get them off and running before the first Old Firm showdown at Parkhead next month.
And Hill is determined there will be a Premiership response after Warburton’s side eased into the last eight of the League Cup with victory over Peterhead on Tuesday evening.
He said: “I think if we’d taken our chances on Saturday then we’d have come away with three points.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t and it was a disappointing result. We’re at Rangers and you don’t want to drop points at home.
“Unfortunately we did that but we responded against Peterhead, having made a few changes.
“It was a positive night and we took our chances. It gives us a good springboard ahead of a difficult game on Saturday.
“It’s an eye-opener, definitely. Even just walking out of the tunnel on Saturday, you know what’s expected of you.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t finish them off and get the three points so this was a positive in terms of coming out, getting on the ball and taking our chances, which is the most important thing.
“Yeah, I signed up for this. There’s no slacking here. I fully know that from Saturday.
“It was a good, positive performance and I’m glad we took our chances when we did because that’s one side of the game that we had to work on.
“It was a good night ahead of a big game on Saturday. I’ve been with different clubs at different levels but here you have to win game, simple as that.
“We all know that and no-one thought it was a good point. We dropped points, so now we need to go to a difficult place and get three.”
After seeing chances come and go and victory slip through their grasps against Accies, Rangers ensured they quickly got back on track against the Blue Toon.
It was a comfortable and deserved win for Warburton’s side as Niko Kranjcar opened the scoring and Hill netted a brace to secure a quarter-final berth.
A Fiacre Kelleher own goal and Joe Dodoo effort completed a pleasing night at the office for Warburton’s side and Hill was satisfied with a job well done.
He said: “It was an added bonus for me. I’ve been lucky enough to score the odd goal here and there, but never two. So that was a special moment for me.
“It was a good overall performance from the lads after a disappointing result on Saturday. To bounce back, score five and get a clean sheet meant it was a good night.
“It was a chance for us to make a few changes and the boys came in and did brilliantly. I thought young Jordan showed his promise again.
“Joe scored his first goal, which was brilliant. It shows the strength we have in the squad.
“We had to show respect for the team we were playing against. They’d beaten some top teams to get to this point so it was a good night overall.”
The first two goals of his Ibrox career were pleasing for Hill but his efforts at the other end of the park were equally as rewarding for the 37-year-old.
The former QPR stopper partnered captain for the night Rob Kiernan at the heart of the Gers defence and was rarely troubled by the Peterhead attack.
Boss Warburton remains in the market for another central option and Hill would relish the added competition as Danny Wilson also eyes a starting berth this term.
He said: “That’s something I’d welcome because I think you need four centre-backs. It’s a tough league and if you want to go all the way in the cup competitions as well then it’s going to test the squad.
“You need to embrace competition. The more players that come in and the more quality players that come in, it can only improve us.”
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