Rangers manager Russell Martin defended his decision to start two key players on the bench as the Scottish Giants took a significant step to defeat Czech side Viktoria Plzen 3-0.
Djeidi Gassama fights, Cyriel Dessers fines, Rangers win in the first leg of the comfortable third round of the Ibrox Tour.
But the big news before the kickoff was the decision made by Martin, who blew up his players after a 1-1 draw at Motherwell on Saturday to remove Captains James Tavernier and Nico Raskin.
However, the decision seems to pay off, with Martin’s side producing a dominant showdown ahead of Bilson’s second leg next week.
The new Rangers boss supports his decision, insisting that he will need everyone on the team to play his role.
After the game, Martin told BBC Sport: “I don’t like the word.”
“I said to these guys before you evacuate from the team. We’re going to need everyone [in the squad]. People will come out and we need freshness.
“As a head coach, you have to do the best thing for the team that night. The guy who comes here is doing great and that’s what you ask for.
“It tends to be one thing turned into a big thing here, but that’s not at all. Tonight is the best team.
“I don’t think it’s going to spend an eleven week in a week.”
If pre-game headlines focus heavily on players the club serves for a long time, the post-game focus may be on Ibrox’s new face.
Gassama signed from Sheffield on Wednesday in the summer and now scored three consecutive European Olympics, while the 23-year-old debuted Oliver Antman also performed well.
The Finnish youth provided assists for Gasama’s second place, which looked like a threat to the right of the Wanderers.
Martin was pleased with his contributions to his two new signings, but also praised the performance of the entire team.
“I’m really satisfied [the game],” Martin said.
“I was a little annoyed in the last 15 minutes because I thought we were a little sloppy and had too many balls in half of ourselves.
“It’s really hard to try to learn a lot of details and apply it with the right intensity and courage, especially after a tough afternoon on Saturday [against Motherwell]. So I’m really proud of the team. ”
