RANGERS striker Joe Garner savoured his first hat-trick in almost two years then thanked the Ibrox fans for sticking by him during his lean spell in front of goal.

The Englishman came off the bench to replace Kenny Miller at half-time in Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Hamilton Accies and ended up leaving the pitch with the match ball tucked under his arm after claiming three goals in a 6-0 thrashing.

Last summer’s big-money signing had scored only four times prior to the weekend and, while admitting that has been a disappointing return to date, he hoped his treble could provide the platform for him to kick on for the remainder of the season.

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He will need to wait for his next chance to get back on the scoresheet as he is banned for the trip to Parkhead this weekend, but will be desperate to go again when Accies are back at Ibrox on league duty in a fortnight’s time.

He told Times Sport: “I’ve got four or five hat-tricks in my career now but that was the first since I got three against Swindon for Preston back in April 2015. So it was a great feeling to get my first one for Rangers. The fact that we won the game 6-0 to get through to the semi-finals made it even sweeter.

“When I heard the manager was taking Kenny off at half-time I was just keen to get on and do all I could to help the team win. To go on and get three goals is always nice.

“I didn’t set myself any goal targets when I signed but as long as I’m getting chances I will always back myself. I’ve obviously not scored as many as I would have liked but hopefully after getting three on Saturday I can go on a little run and get a few more before the end of the season. Strikers are always judged on how many goals they score and that’s fair enough. It’s always been that way so I just have to keep doing what I’m being paid for. Getting into double figures is the next aim but we’ll just take it game by game.”

Read more: A rare stress-free afternoon for Rangers as they coast past Accies to book semi-final spot

Despite his struggles in front of goal, Garner has remained a cult hero among the Rangers support and admitted he has taking some good-natured stick from his team-mates for having a song chanted in his honour at every match.

He added: “The fans have always been behind me and so I really need to thank them for that. This is a top place to play and you’re always looking to give something back to them if you can. Hopefully scoring a hat-trick does that a bit. Ever since I scored my first goal against Celtic they have been right behind me. They are really great fans and it’s a pleasure to play for this club.

“The song the fans sing about me seems to keep them happy so that’s the main thing. If they go home happy because we’ve won and go out and have a good weekend and a few drinks then I’m all for that. A few of the lads walk around the dressing room singing the song but it’s all good!”