Windass looking to kick on after goalscoring return

Rangers wideman Josh Windass hopes his injury woes are finally behind him after kick-starting his season with a goal against Dundee.

Josh Windass
Published 11th Sep 2017

The former Accrington playmaker put in a stunning display during Gers' opening-day win at Motherwell.

But the hamstring pull that ruled him out of last month's trip to Ross County had the 23-year-old fearing he was set for a repeat of his debut campaign in Glasgow last year, when injuries seemed to crop up every time he looked set to make a major impact.

Thankfully for Windass, his most recent knock has not lasted long and he was able to mark his return to Pedro Caixinha's line-up as a second-half substitute against Dundee with a goal in the Light Blues' 4-1 triumph.

He said: "I thought I started the season well and I was disappointed to get injured against Hearts.

"I just want to kick on. Getting injured is just part of football, hopefully I can stay fit and get a few goals.

"It was great to come on and score. Before the game I knew I was going to be a sub but I said to myself that if I got on I'd try and make the team better. Thankfully I did that.

"I think you can see we have real quality on the bench now, players like Jason Holt and Dalcio aren't even making the bench.

"It shows the depth of our squad at the moment and I think that's a positive."

Alfredo Morelos stole the show for Gers with another double as he extended his red-hot goal streak to seven in five games.

And there were further positive signs as Carlos Pena finally started to repay his £2.5million summer transfer fee with a goal.

The Mexican has hardly set the heather alight since moving from Guadalajara but Windass said: "I was delighted to see Carlos get on the scoresheet too.

"He's been coming on really well in the last few weeks and he took his goal well."

The result spells trouble for Dundee, who have now taken just a single point from the first 15 available.

But boss Neil McCann is already eyeing up next Saturday's visit of St Johnstone as he plots his side's first win.

"Tommy (Wright) has done a remarkable job at St Johnstone," said the Dens boss. "They are always well organised with a structure that is hard to break down.

"But it gives us another opportunity to get going.

"Saturday's game was a sore one to take. I can have no arguments about not getting anything from the game at Ibrox.

"Rangers put us under a lot of pressure and had chances to make it more handsome.