ANDY HALLIDAY is confident Rangers are on the road to recovery in the Premiership despite slipping to seventh spot in the standings.

Mark Warburton’s side dropped more crucial top flight points as they lost 2-1 to Aberdeen on Sunday and continued a poor run of league form.

Halliday cancelled out Jonny Hayes’ opener for the Dons but James Maddison snatched victory at Pittodrie as he curled home a controversial free-kick.

And the Ibrox midfielder is determined to build on an improved showing when the Gers face Partick Thistle this weekend.

Halliday said: “[Sunday] was, in my opinion, our best performance of the season in terms of our quality in possession and the amount of chances we created.

“At the end of the day, we need to be more clinical. I remember thinking about the 88th, 89th minute ‘how are we only going to get a draw in this game?’

“Then there was the sucker punch with the free-kick. In my opinion, it was a poor decision from the referee but it is hugely disappointing to lose the game.

“It was pretty positive at half-time. We knew Aberdeen had to change it because we were pretty dominant in the first 45 minutes and they did that by making a substitution.

“We knew at half-time they were going to come out strong and we had to be aware of that. It was a poor goal to concede at the start of the second half.

“I thought we got back on track after five, ten minutes and started to dominate the game again and create a few more chances.

“Once we got the goal to equalise, we thought we were the more likely team to go and push for the winner. It was a huge disappointment to concede.

“But you just need to get back on that horse and it is all geared towards next week and Partick Thistle.”

It has been a frustrating few weeks for boss Warburton as his side have struggled to convert their possession into goals and seen a number of points slip through their grasps.

A lack of cutting edge once again proved costly at Pittodrie but Halliday insists the Light Blues have firepower to shoot themselves up the table.

He said: “We are always confident in the team to score goals and we have got a lot of quality players going forward.

“Look at the three boys (Niko Kranjcar, Kenny Miller and Michael O’Halloran) that we brought on, they are certainly good substitutes to have.

“We are certainly confident in our own ability to get goals and we knew we weren’t out of it when we went 1-0 down.

“Ultimately it is another disappointing result for us. But I think we are getting closer to where we want to be.

“That has been three good performances in the last three games but, in the two league ones especially, we are not getting the results that were maybe justified. If we keep doing the right things then we will get the rewards for it.”

There have been few positives in terms of results for Rangers in recent weeks but the form of Halliday is a welcome boost for boss Warburton.

The 24-year-old has impressed in the holding midfield role against Ross County, Queen of the South and the Dons and he is determined to continue playing a key role for the Gers.

“I think it is my best position in this team to be honest,” Halliday told RangersTV.

“I think it is a lot more natural to me in terms of my attributes as a football player.

“I have really enjoyed playing there in the last three games. It is just good to be back in the team and playing well.

“It is a results business and the most important thing for us to get some momentum going and get that winning mentality back into the team so it is all guns blazing towards Saturday.”