Rangers star Steven Whittaker has hailed his side’s league and cup double as a dream come true after capping off a successful season with Saturday’s Scottish Cup final defeat of Falkirk.
The Gers were somewhat fortuitous to overcome a resilient Bairns side, brimming with confidence and enthusiasm after clinching top-flight survival in their final league fixture against Inverness last weekend.
But whilst he wholeheartedly concedes that the 1-0 Hampden victory was far from his team’s finest display, Whittaker is delighted with the outcome of a long and arduous campaign.
“A double is what dreams are made of, and we’re all delighted with the victory,” said the full back. “We had the determination and the winning mentality and that got us through.
“We knew there would be stages where Falkirk kept the ball from us, so it was about keeping solid, keeping chances to a minimum and hitting them on the break. We managed to do that a couple of times, but it took something special from Nacho Novo to get us in the lead.”
The 24-year-old has stepped up admirably to replace the injured Kirk Broadfoot for much of the season, with his ever increasing confidence at right back boosting his performances and popularity amongst the supporters.
And the former Hibs star believes that since making the switch from Easter Road two years ago those fans have shown him exactly what it means to be involved with a club like Rangers.
He added: “I’ve been at the club for two years now and made a number of appearances both seasons, so I definitely know what it takes and what it means to be a Rangers player.
“The atmosphere right from when we stepped out onto the pitch for the warm up at Tannadice last weekend was unbelievable. The fans sang from start to finish, and the amount of people that showed up at Ibrox later just shows what a massive club this is.”