Rangers star Connor Goldson can’t wait to run out at Ibrox on Tuesday night in front of a full house for the first time in 18 months – and admits it will “bring back the goosebumps.”
Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier with Malmo will be the first time Rangers have been allowed 100% capacity since March 2020 and Goldson confessed it’s been “amazing” having fans back so far in limited numbers.
Last weekend’s win over Livingston saw around 23000 fans allowed inside Ibrox but with 50000 expected against Malmo, Goldson hopes it can help propel Rangers into the playoffs and a clash with Olympiacos or Ludogorets.
“I can’t wait,” said Goldson. “I can’t wait. Even in pre-season it’s been amazing just to hear the noise.
“I’ve been able to have my wife and my little boy there. He’s loving it.
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“He woke up this morning and said he wanted to go to the big blue house so I had to tell him we were not at home this weekend and he couldn’t come.
“But it’s amazing to be able to have your family back in the stadium and the noise of the supporters.
“It gives you so much more adrenaline when you walk out and that feeling is what you play football for, and to walk out to a full house on Tuesday night will be amazing.
“I’m sure it will bring back the goosebumps you have on the European nights. I’m sure the fans are just as excited as we are and hopefully that can drive us on to perform the way that we can and hopefully will be enough to put us into the next round.”
Goldson is a certainty to start both games over the coming days and the only question is who will partner him in central defence.
It will be interesting to see who Gerrard picks, particularly against Malmo, with Leon Balogun having never played at a packed Ibrox yet.
The noise when the players emerge will stun even the most experienced of Rangers players though so it’s going to be even worse for the Malmo players.
While the impact fans can have is often overplayed, Tuesday’s game feels like a perfect storm for the sort of atmosphere at Ibrox that Rangers fans will be talking about for years to come.
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