Jack Butland had to call for calm and keep a sense of perspective as Rangers got their campaign off to a nightmare start against Kilmarnock.
And the keeper will employ those same tactics today after seeing Philippe Clement’s side record their most eye-catching result and performance of a rollercoaster campaign to date.
That defeat at Rugby Park on the opening day of the term put Rangers on the back foot in the Premiership title race. After losing further ground, they still find themselves playing catch-up to Celtic at the top of the table.
There is a renewed optimism and sense of belief around Ibrox, though. That shift was sparked by the arrival of Clement as Michael Beale paid the price for a run that threatened to see the season spiral out of control.
“It was a special, special night against a top team who were unbeaten at home this season,” Butland said. “We were up against it because even a draw would have been enough to put us in the Conference League, which wasn’t what we wanted. We’ve come here and, to be honest, we played incredible.
“It’s important [to always keep calm]. We play games every three or four days, so you can’t get carried with defeats and things like that. The Kilmarnock one was a real kick in the backside, if you like, and not what we wanted. But there was a long, long way to go. In everything.
“After a tough start with a managerial change and not exactly being where we wanted to be, we’ve turned it into a really positive first half of the season as far as I’m concerned.
“We’ve got a lot of things to come, a lot we’re still working on and a lot we want to achieve. But Thursday night was a huge step for us in our belief against a top side. We earned that victory and fully deserved it.”