Ryan Jack has called on Rangers to put on a Tynecastle repeat as they look to replicate their capital gains against Hibs at Easter Road on Wednesday night.
Michael Beale’s side shook off last week’s Hampden heartache as they responded to their Viaplay Cup final loss by sweeping past Kilmarnock on Saturday. But it was a game of two halves, with the Ibrox side unable to maintain their dominant opening 45-minute display against Derek McInnes’ men into the second. As a performance it failed to measure up against last month’s 3-0 trouncing of the Jambos, which Jack reckons is their most complete under Beale so far.
And as he prepares for another trip along the M8 this week he called on his team to hit those same heights against Hibs. He said: “Yeah it will be needed, definitely. Hibs are obviously in good form again so nothing less than our best performance (will do). If we’re not at our best it will be a difficult night. If we’re at our best and reach those Tynecastle levels then I’m sure we’ll do all right.”
Beale admitted his team had been feeling the pressure to respond their Hampden set back but would have been delighted with the way they blasted out the traps against Killie, sealing the points by the break following goals from Connor Goldson, Fashion Sakala and James Tavernier.
But slackness was allowed to creep in following the interval as Jeriel Dorsett pulled one back for Killie. Jack said: “On the back of last weekend’s result it was important that we started fast, get the first goal and then not come off that tempo. We got the second and the third and were cruising by the end of the first half.
“But second half we got a wee bit sloppy, a few give-aways, a few bookings and conceded from a set-play. But in the main I thought we controlled it. First half, delighted with the performance. Second half we came off it a wee bit.”
Gers have been flawless on the road under Beale, winning on all seven of their Premiership away days since the Londoner’s appointment. It’s a vast improvement on their opening six visits to opposition territory where they managed just two victories.
Jack added: “Previously we’d been up and down with the away form. But since the manager’s come we’ve gone to the majority of away grounds and got results. In the past, a lot of those grounds are places where we’ve dropped points which cost us but now we’re getting results. In the league we’re in good form. We just need to keep that going, build a run and see where it takes us.”
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