Russell Martin set for Rangers 'chat' with Andrew Cavenagh and names unique factor club share with Celtic

Russell Martin has said a conversation will be had with owner Andrew Cavenagh after earning a much-needed Rangers victory - as he named a unique quality of both the Ibrox side and Celtic.

The Light Blues boss and CEO Patrick Stewart faced protests pre-match and at various stages during their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final versus Hibs in Govsn. Fans delayed the game in the first half with bouncy balls and a banner demanding Martin’s exit, following on from pre-match pleas for club chiefs to axe the head coach. Stewart was then targeted with a banner in the second half, as Nico Raskin and Bojan Miovski goals sealed a 2-0 success.

They join St Mirren, Motherwell and either of Partick Thistle or Celtic in the semi-final draw ahead of a return to the Europa League against Genk. After buying the club in the summer alongside 49ers Enterprises, chairman and owner Cavenagh was in attendance at this game. After a post-match cuddle, Martin has said that further talks will now commence with the American businessman.

Russell Martin on Rangers fan protests

He told Premier Sports: “I've just seen him there. He gave me a hug. He really enjoyed the performance, and I'm sure we'll have a sitdown now and a chat. It's probably only the second time this season that we've felt that the team is on the pitch and actually looks how we want to, in terms of Plzen, and then this one.

“But it's not criticism of the players. It's so difficult. It's so difficult with the circumstances, the amount of games, like I said, the lack of training time. But I hope it gives us something to really build off, and I think the players enjoyed their performance.

“I think it shows what a full week of work on the training pitch can do for you. We just haven't had very much training time. We've had so many guys learning a new way of doing things, so many new guys learning to try and play here, what comes with that, and just game after game. We've had very little training time on the pitch. I think the thing I enjoyed most today is the performance I enjoyed the most since we've been here. There was a lot of control. I think because we haven't had the results we want recently, we could have scored a couple more, and maybe when the team's a bit more buoyant and confident, we could.

Rangers vs Hibs reaction

“There's loads to work on, so that's what's exciting, I think. We put in a good performance, we can be a lot better, but there were some really brilliant football and some really outstanding individual performances, so I'm really proud of the players. They've stuck together this week, all the staff as well, so I'm really happy for them and really grateful for what they've done for me today.

Martin was asked about the fan protests, and said Rangers and Celtic have a unique focus on managers at each club. He responded: “I hope they enjoyed the performance. I hope they enjoyed the win. I thought they were great, actually. I said before, I can't control any of it. Obviously, at the start of the game, it was there. But as the game wore on, and by the end of the game, they were a fantastic game. The players got what they deserved. Honestly, it's not about me. I think in this city at the two clubs, there’s so much onus on the manager, probably not like many other clubs in football. But it's not about me.

“It's about the players. It's about them. So it's become about me, not through my choice. But we just have to keep working really hard. Like I said, we have to build off this and if we can play like that more often, with the courage to take the ball, the intensity and aggression, like I said, we've got so much more to come. Then we just have to win football matches and hopefully they'll go with it.”