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Rangers boss Russell Martin has challenged his team to claw their way back into a title fight with Celtic and Hearts.
Martin finally got his first league victory as manager when Max Aarons scored a dramatic last-minute winner to secure a 2-1 triumph at Livingston.
However, a large section of the Rangers support repeated their calls for the manager to be sacked – and continued to chant for his removal even after the final whistle.
Martin insisted he was unmoved by the ongoing mutiny in the stands and, instead, was adamant that Rangers need to use the late win to go on a run.
‘I think we're hunting a lot of teams at the moment, it's not just about one team,’ said the under-fire Rangers boss, with Hearts currently nine points ahead of them at the top of the Premiership table, and second-place Celtic seven ahead.
‘We have to really hunt and be so hungry and desperate to win, and make sure we're where we want to be at the end of the season. So today's a big step for us, I think, and we need to use that as a catalyst to kick on.
Under-fire Rangers boss Russell Martin wants their dramatic win at Livingston to be a catalyst
Max Aarons gives Rangers their first league victory of the season by firing in a late winner
Livingston boss David Martindale said he was proud of his young players' performance
‘I'm really proud of the players. We deserved to win. The first half was the best we played all season, I think. The first half we deserved to win, played brilliantly. Some amazing football.
‘We should have scored more goals, for sure. As I said, probably the best performance we've put in, we really built on (the win over) Hibs.
‘We didn't start the second half well. We didn't control it anywhere near enough. The gap between the first half and the second was big.
‘But in the last 30 minutes, we were so dominant in their half, a lot of brilliant performances. We changed the shape. The subs had a big impact for us.
‘I'm really pleased for the players because they showed how hard they're fighting for each other, for us, for me. I think that's grown in the last three or four weeks, that character and resilience they've been developing.
‘In terms of scoring so late to get the win, I think it could be a real big moment for us. They'll feel really good in the dressing room. I enjoyed their celebrations together.
‘As I said to them, we deserve it but we made it hard for ourselves. The game is always open to interpretation. Mine is that we were brilliant for 45 minutes and then for 25 minutes in the second half, we showed so much character. We were really proud of that.’
With Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh in attendance at their matches over the past week, this was a win which buys Martin a degree of time.
But there were still aspects of the performance which were wholly unconvincing, most notably the significant drop-off after half-time before they rallied to claim a late win.
A large section of the Rangers support chanted throughout the match for Martin to be sacked and continued to do so even after Aarons’ late winner.
Insisting he has no option but to block out the noise, the manager continued: ‘I can't control it and I can't waste energy focusing on it.
‘I have to use that energy for the players and the staff inside the building and to try and improve us and to win more games.
‘And hopefully, if we do that, hopefully everyone will be happy. It's why I went down the tunnel after, because the players were there to enjoy it.
‘So it's not about me at that point, but they could enjoy it and I have to wait for them in the dressing room.’
Livingston boss David Martindale, who saw Mo Sylla cancel out James Tavernier's opener, said: ‘I was really proud of the players. We had two young 20-year-olds in midfield. Not many Premiership teams will do that. There were a lot more positives than negatives for us.’
