IT was an Ibrox roar of appreciation rather than celebration. Joe Garner didn’t find the net against Hearts, but he is working his way into the affections of Rangers supporters.

As he trudged off after another tireless shift at the head of the Light Blues attack, the home crowd rose to their feet to applaud him from the park.

Garner has come in for some criticism since his £1.8million move from Preston North End but his work ethic and commitment have never been in question.

He may not have scored against Aberdeen or the Jambos but he has certainly played his part in helping Mark Warburton’s side to two crucial Premiership wins.

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The more direct approach utilised by Warburton in the last fortnight has played to Garner’s strengths; his bustling, all-action style summing up a shift from Rangers that has been at the heart of their back-to-back triumphs.

Three goals in 15 appearances in Light Blue isn’t the kind of return that many had expected but former Ibrox forward John MacDonald has been impressed with Garner’s contribution to the cause.

“I have been watching Garner since he came to Rangers and he is not playing any differently now to what he was at first,” he said.

“But now he is getting players round about him supporting him. He was winning balls before and there was nobody there to pick up the pieces.

“Now he is winning them and there are people there to get on the end of them. It is working for Rangers now.

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“He got applauded off on Saturday and it was maybe a shock for him that he got that reaction from the fans.

“He has always had that effort and that work rate and the fans appreciate that. He works hard for the team.

“We have got two results against Aberdeen and Hearts and he has been a big part of it.

“He might not be scoring goals but for a guy that is smaller than I am, he is very good in the air.

“As long as he is doing his job for the team, I don’t think the manager will mind that he isn’t scoring every week.

“If the team is winning, I don’t see him changing the side too much. The manager made five changes for the Aberdeen game and got the response from the loss at Hearts.

“I think he will stick by the same team and hopefully we can get into a rhythm now and put a few results together.”

Garner may have taken the acclaim from the Ibrox crowd but the 28-year-old was not the only star performer for Warburton’s side as they clinched a deserved win.

It was Rob Kiernan and Barrie McKay that found ways through the Hearts defensive line as Ian Cathro’s Jambos bow ended in defeat.

Victory moved Rangers four points clear of Aberdeen in the race to be best of the rest this term and the coming weeks provide them with a chance to build some top flight momentum.

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MacDonald said: “It was very difficult to choose a man of the match on Saturday because there wasn’t a bad performance in the team. Everyone played well and hopefully this is the turnaround that we need.

“The last two games have been magnificent. I don’t know what the manager has said to them but it seems to have worked.

“It is a test on Friday night. We have beaten Aberdeen and Hearts and now we need to go away to Hamilton and get another result, and we have got the game away to St Johnstone coming up as well.

“If we could take nine points from the next three games we will be going into the Celtic match with a lot of confidence.”

The Hogmanay Old Firm showdown is already looming large on the horizon for Rangers but there are important hurdles that must be overcome before Celtic visit Ibrox for the first time in four years.

A lacklustre start to the campaign ensured that there would be no title challenge from Warburton’s side this term as their ambitions had to be altered.

The wins over Aberdeen and Hearts are steps in the right direction and now MacDonald hopes they can stride forward in the coming weeks and months.

MacDonald said: “It has taken us a bit of time to get used to the Premiership and the way that teams play against us compared to last year.

“Some people maybe expected too much but I always thought that if Rangers could finish second this year that would be a great achievement.

“It is about progress and then next year we can build again once the boys have gelled together and the manager has brought more players in.”