Just Keep Winning

[ian1964 10,720]

Andrew Dickson reports from Caledonian Stadium

 

WALTER SMITH insists the most important thing Rangers can do is keep winning after they closed the gap between them and Celtic in the SPL to five points.

 

Pedro Mendes celebratesThe Light Blues' 3-0 victory over Inverness at Caledonian Stadium today was crucial after their Old Firm rivals could only draw with Dundee United yesterday.

 

It was the perfect response after last Saturday's derby defeat and showed, if proof was ever needed, that the championship race is still far from over.

 

Pedro Mendes opened the scoring in the frozen north before Kris Boyd's double clinched a vital success.

 

Smith said: "We started well enough in the first 10 or 15 minutes but then I thought we were poor in the last half hour of the first half.

 

"The game itself dropped down a bit so it was up to us to lift things and we got off to a terrific start after the break.

 

"Pedro scored a great goal once the game got underway again and I think that set us up for a good win.

 

"We were a lot better in the second half than we had been in the first and were far more incisive.

 

"The important thing for us just now is to win. Everybody makes the comparison between us and Celtic but the biggest thing is that we go on a run of victories.Kris Boyd scores the third goal against ICT

 

"We need to look at our own performances rather than anybody else's. It's our fault we are trailing in the championship and we have to adjust to that.

 

"We must make sure, in the games we have coming up, that we get into a situation where we can eradicate a few of the errors we've made in the first part of the season."

 

Smith paid tribute to Mendes, whose goal just 24 seconds into the second period broke the deadlock for a Gers team badly needing to come out on top.

 

The Portuguese midfielder's effort was sublime as he curled beyond Ryan Esson from 25 yards after good work by Nacho Novo.

 

Smith added: "Pedro's goal was good and it was a welcome one as we needed something to lift us a little bit.

 

"As I said to the players at half-time, we needed to get ourselves up as the game suited Caley Thistle with the way it was panning out.

 

Pedro Mendes celebrates"We had to go on and win the game and we went on to do so after a good start. I felt we deserved to win."

 

Mendes and Kenny Miller both came off in the latter stages with minor injuries but Smith does not expect either to be sidelined for long.

 

With nine days now until the team's next game against St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup, it is hoped both will be fit enough to take part in that fixture.

 

Smith said: "Kenny had a knock just above his knee and Pedro had to come off because he had a thigh strain.

 

"Hopefully neither injury keeps them out for any great length of time. We'd like to think they'll recover before our next match."

[carldvelle 0]

We should be ahead of them at this point, but we cant seem to keep on winning.