TODD CANTWELL has told how he parked his personal issues to help Rangers to Viaplay Cup glory.
The midfielder missed Gers’ historic win over Real Betis last Thursday because of a family matter.
But after a heart-to-heart with gaffer Philippe Clement he returned as the Ibrox side lifted the trophy for the first time in 12 years.
Asked how hard a decision it was to play against Aberdeen, Cantwell confessed: “Yeah, it was tough. It was a reasonably late call, but I felt like I could contribute.
“I had a good conversation with the manager, and he said if I felt my mind was right then I should play.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, and I am not going to go into it.
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“I wanted to play for the cause and wanted to be a part of a great day.
“I was tired towards the end as I haven’t trained loads. But I gave everything on the park like I always try to do.
“All that was important was the result.
“There’s no miracles, football can change. It’s easy for things to turn.
“We’re in a good way at the moment and we want that to continue.
“It’s a good changing room with good lads in there. We have always believed in ourselves.
“We have lots of players who have been here, who have been on the brink, but who haven’t got over the line.
“We’ve got new blood coming in, who are really hungry, so there’s a good balance there.
“This is a lift, it’s a morale booster. But it means nothing for the rest of the season.
“We can tick it off and say we’ve won it, but we need to use it as a big boost and move forward.
“You want winning to become a habit. One of the big things about coming to Rangers was the amount of opportunities you get to win things.
“It’s not a bad way to start the season and we must keep it going.”
Cantwell, 25, savoured every second of Gers’ Hampden victory.
He said: “Myself and Jack Butland had a long conversation at the start of last week about this.
“Games and occasions like Sunday are the reason we came here to Rangers.
“We laughed and said we’re not going to be remembered for our songs, we want to be remembered as winners.
“It’s really important that when opportunities like Sunday come along we take them.
“It was so important to win the Viaplay Cup and be able to give that to the supporters.
“The fans deserved that. They have not had an easy time so that was for them. It was special to be able to win it for the supporters.
“It sounds a bit cliched, but I genuinely believe the fans are so passionate that they deserve to have a little bit back.
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“We know how important it is to win things here, and it was great to do that.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
