Ryan Naderi insists work-in-progress Rangers are on the right road following their narrow 1-0 UEFA Conference League win over Jablonec on Thursday night.
Derek McInnes got his first win as Gers manager at the fifth time of asking with a 5-1 home hammering of St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday, when the 23-year-old German striker scored his first goal of the season and he struck again against the Czech side at Ibrox.
After a goalless first-half in the first leg of the play-off at Ibrox, Naderi put the Light Blues ahead in the 50th minute when he awkwardly converted a cut-back from winger Daisuke Yokota.
However, Rangers could not kick on and in the 78th minute substitute Cammy Devlin was sent off minutes after coming off the bench for a high tackle on Jriri Slama and it was a 10-man home side that maintained their slim lead to take to the second leg next week.
But after a second successive win and the first clean sheet of the season, Naderi stressed the importance of building a winning habit and momentum. He said: “I agree that the first half wasn’t amazing but I’m happy that we kept a clean sheet. That was really important on Thursday.
“We had opportunities to score one or two goals more, but at the end it’s just about keeping up the confidence, second win in a row, and just keeping going and staying focused, and I think that’s important.
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“Not everything was horrible in the games before. It’s just that we managed to win games now. But it’s still progress we’re going through, and we still have to improve, and I think we’re going in the right direction.
“It was tough for everyone. I didn’t score the most spectacular goals, but at the end of the day I’m just happy that I somehow put it over the line. That’s what a striker has to do.
“I’m just happy to help the team, and the most important thing is just winning, and keeping the momentum up, and we should keep this.”
Naderi revealed his family links to the Czech Republic as he looked forward to the return game. The former Hansa Rostock forward, who joined Rangers in the 2026 winter transfer window, said: “I’ll have family there.
“Obviously, it is something special, but for me it’s something special because it’s qualifying games for a European competition. These are the nights you want to play, and this is the special part for me. I don’t care who we play.
“My story is that my mum is from the Czech Republic. My grandma lives there, so I can speak Czech. It’s not as good as it used to be, because when I was still a student, I used to go there on holidays. For me, it’s a nice match. I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m glad my family is coming, but as I said, for me it’s a match like any other.”
