Thelo Aasgaard is adamant that Rangers will have no fear factor to contend with as they eye up the six games which could land them the title.
Saturday’s 4-2 win over Dundee United saw Danny Rohl’s side reach the summit of the Premiership for the first time in two years.
A third straight league win ensures the Ibrox men travel to Falkirk next Sunday with a growing sense of momentum. A distant 13 points behind Hearts at the time when Rohl was appointed, the squad has manoeuvred itself into a position where a 56th title is now within their grasp.
And Aasgaard, who netted the third against United, says the effort the players have put in to reach this point should negate any concerns about coming up just short.
Rangers attacker Thelo Aasgaard celebrates his goal with Tochi Chukwuani
‘We’ve worked so hard to get here, so there’s no fear of losing it,’ said the Norwegian international. ‘It’s more the excitement of keeping it going. That’s the main thing, no one’s looking backwards now. It’s all forwards.
‘We take every game as it comes. No game is bigger or smaller than the other. I think the manager’s emphasised it as well. These are cup finals, there’s no hiding it.
‘So, we’re going to 100 per cent. We’ve got to recover and go again.’
Playing before their title rivals Hearts and Celtic this weekend, Rohl’s men ensured they took full advantage by scoring four goals in the league for the second successive match.
While an enthralling league race seems set to throw up a few more twists and turns before its conclusion, Aasgaard didn’t attempt to downplay the importance of moving to the top of the table.
‘Yeah, massive,’ he stated. ‘The incentive was there, there’s no hiding it.
‘At the start of the game, we all knew what it would mean to the fans as well.
Aasgaard scores Rangers’ third goal in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Dundee United
‘From the start of the season, no-one would have thought we’d be there, so to be up there is huge for the squad.
‘Obviously, the other teams have got games to play games, but it’s all about adding pressure.
‘I think a big credit has got to be with the manager. We’ve had some games where we’ve dropped points, but that’s when he’s got behind us the most. He knows we’ve got the quality, we know we’ve got the quality, so it’s about keeping it up.’
With the standard of opponent top-six quality from now on, though, the midfielder acknowledged that the team will need to sharpen up on the kind of errors which saw United score twice and create several more opportunities.
‘Yeah, of course,’ he continued. ‘The only thing (that really matters) is the win. These teams carry threats as well. It’s normal. I think all we can do is just watch the video and go again.
‘We’re really happy to score four goals obviously, but we know we can do better.
‘We shouldn’t be conceding two goals, but overall happy and the only thing that matters at this stage is to win.’
