Connor Barron relishing first Old Firm derby after summer switch to Rangers

Rangers midfielder Connor Barron is “really excited” about the prospect of his first Old Firm derby ahead of the trip to Celtic Park on Sunday.

The 22-year-old has been a stand-out in Philippe Clement’s Gers side since joining the Light Blues from Aberdeen in the summer.

His biggest test so far awaits against the champions, who have started strongly this season with four straight wins and who will have all of their 60,000-capacity stadium behind them as there will be no Rangers supporters inside.

Barron told RangersTV: “I’m really excited. There is always a lot of talk around the games, but it’s also important as a player to realise what the team can do, and you can go out with the focus and drive that if you do your job, you can come away with the victory.

“That always has to be the aim at this football club, no matter what team you’re playing against, and nothing changes on Sunday.

“If we all stick to the game plan, we all know what we can do. Defensively, we need to get at them, and when we’re on the ball then we need to be composed.

“We saw last weekend when we take our chances, and that was something we talked about in the first few games of the season because we could have been winning by more. Hopefully we can bring that on Sunday and get the win.”

Indeed, Rangers go into the game on the back of a 6-0 win over Ross County at temporary home Hampden Park, and Barron believes the signs of improvement are clear.

He said: “I feel as if we’re getting better and better as the weeks go on. We’re definitely nowhere near where we want to be and not the finished article, but I think we’re seeing signs of that coming.

“There are also bits where we need to get better at, which we know because we all analyse the games, but that’s football.

“There are a lot of new faces in the squad but I think everyone has picked up [the manager’s ideas] very quickly.

“We had a good pre-season under our belt, which feels a long time ago, and we’re into the games coming thick and fast.

“It’s just about rest and recovery, taking everything on board and bringing it into games.

“It’s a tight-knit group and everyone has taken to each other very well. It’s about us learning on the job quickly and I feel we’re doing that.”