Rangers head coach Russell Martin believes his players will reap the benefits of their winning start against Panathinaikos.
A new era for the Ibrox side kicked off with a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their Champions League second round qualifier at a sold-out Ibrox.
Eighteen-year-old Findlay Curtis opened the scoring with his first goal for the club before Djeidi Gassama came off the bench to score in his debut.
After the game, Martin insisted there will still be a lot more to come from his side, saying: “We’ll be much better for it.
“We had a few tough moments early in the first half after a good start, and then a few sticky moments because we were playing against a really good team with good players and a good coach.
“They’ve been together a while, longer than us for sure. I was really proud and really pleased with the players for the way they got through it, and also the crowd, for the way they stuck with the team through a few difficult moments, which was incredible.”
Findlay Curtis netted his first Rangers goal to open the scoring.
Martin was also high in his praise of Curtis, whose curling effort put an end to a dominant spell from Panathinaikos.
“I think Findlay [Curtis] probably embodied us. In the first half, he was a bit tense. He was receiving too many balls in positions we don’t want him to, but he’s so willing and has such a brilliant character and mentality, and that was reflected in the rest of the group as well.
“I hope it’s the start of something [for Curtis]. He’s just had words of wisdom from Sir Alex [Ferguson] there; I don’t think you can ask for any more than that.
“He has to keep his feet on the ground. Also, again, I spoke before the game with the TV guys about why he’s in the team, and I think he has the character and the mentality to play for this club.
“We have to make sure with Fin that it is just a start and that he keeps improving and keeps wanting to improve. That’s the best bit about him, is his attitude and his willingness to learn.”
Rangers fixtures: Motherwell opener live on Sky Sports
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Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton make their predictions for the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership title
Rangers will kick off their 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season at Motherwell on Saturday August 2, live on Sky Sports.
It will be new head coach Martin’s first league game in charge since being appointed in the summer, and will come just days after their Champions League second-qualifying-round clash against Panathinaikos.
His first Scottish Premiership game at Ibrox will take place on Saturday August 9 against Steven Pressley’s Dundee.
The first Old Firm clash of the season takes place on Sunday August 31 live on Sky Sports as Celtic travel to Ibrox, a fixture that could be key as Martin’s side look to close the gap on their city rivals this season.
The sides will meet again at Celtic Park on Wednesday January 3 – live on Sky Sports – with their final pre-split meeting at Ibrox on February 28.
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Rangers head coach Russell Martin is challenging captain James Tavernier to fight for his place, insisting there is space for both him and loan signing Max Aarons in his new-look side
Elsewhere, their first match against Derek McInnes’ Hearts comes on Saturday September 13 at Ibrox, while Rangers face the two newly-promoted clubs on consecutive weeks with a trip to Livingston on Saturday September 27, before travelling to Falkirk on October 4.
Rangers head to Easter Road – where they ended the last campaign – to face Hibernian on Wednesday October 29, while the first clash against Aberdeen follows that on November 1 at Ibrox.
With no winter break this season, Rangers face six games in December – however, there are no games on Boxing Day. Instead, Martin’s side head to Hearts on Saturday December 20 and then host Motherwell on Saturday December 27 at Ibrox.
Rangers’ final pre-split fixture takes place on April 11 at Falkirk, with the league campaign concluding on the weekend of May 16/17 and the play-off final bringing a curtain down on proceedings on May 21 and 24.
