Ben Davies reveals freak Rangers training ground injury that ended with 12 day headache but Celtic now on his mind
Ben Davies is relieved to be thinking clearly again after having his senses scrambled with a freak training ground accident.
And the Rangers defender admits it’s going to take clear heads amid the Parkhead pandemonium if his side are to salvage their Treble dreams. The big Englishman certainly showed a clarity of vision as he climbed off the bench to register his first appearance in almost five months and net his first goal for the club.
It was a vital one too as he put Gers in front against Kilmarnock after a rollercoaster first 45 minutes threatened to send their Premiership ambitions crashing into the buffers. But Philippe Clement’s team are still clinging to the tracks after a win that trimmed Celtic’s advantage back to three points. Defeat would’ve left blue heads ringing as they prepare to cross the city for a huge derby battle. It’s a feeling Davies knows only too well having been laid low by a concussion just as he was set to return from a knee injury that has ruled him out since December.
But he’s back now – and determined to help his side hold their nerve at Celtic Park. Davies, who may have to cover for crock pair Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun, said: “It feels good to be back. It’s been a long time out injured. I was nearly back but then got a concussion in training, which put me back another few weeks. So it’s been frustrating.
“But the lads and the manager have been great, making me feel still part of it, wanted and needed. They said all along I’ll still be needed before the end of the season. With the concussion, it was a Thursday before a Saturday game and we were doing some shape and attack v defence. I was in the opposition team.
“The ball has bounced off the crossbar and into the floor and I jumped up to flick it and one of the players, I won’t name who, has gone to try and score a goal. I have just nicked it and he’s got me on the back of the head. I had a headache for 10, 12 days after that, which was a bit concerning. But it’s fully gone now.
“I was just starting to feel good in terms of training and fitness and feeling a bit sharper, so it was frustrating. But, like I say, you just have to stick at it. I have been around the game for a while and you are never down and out. You have to stay focused because you know it can change so quickly.
“Today the 45 minutes I got was a good amount of minutes to help me get the match fitness back. If I’m needed from now on, hopefully that will stand me in good stead.
“I’m ready to start games now. I think that 45 minutes is a good building block. It’s just funny how things can change, from battling to be in squads to getting on today and contributing. It feels good. Yeah, 100 per cent [we’ll need clear heads next week].
“We need to be good on the ball, we need to be aggressive, we need to attack and defend well. We need to play a good game to win there. There are opportunities for two trophies between now and the end of the season. The next game is always the most important and that is that game. Obviously that is the important one now that we are going to focus on.”
Gers will head to Parkhead trailing on both points and goal difference. But Davies insists that confidence is high at Ibrox. And he said: “We’re feeling good. We have scored four good goals today and we have created lots of chances. Obviously it is going to be a tough task to go and win but we are going to try and win there and see where we go from there.”
Clement’s side had to dig deep to get past Derek McInnes’ rugged Rugby Park side. There was first-half VAR drama, a penalty miss from James Tavernier to go with the skipper’s unfortunate OG.
But in the end, they got the job done thanks to goals from Fabio Silva, Davies, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar. Davies said: “There was a lot going on first half. There was VAR, there was penalties and a red card and all sorts going on. I have never seen a first half quite like it. We stuck at it well and them going down to 10 men gave us more space second half. I thought we exploited it well and created lots of chances.”
Davies’ last appearance was in the Europa League win away to Real Betis back in mid-December. And he was glad to finally break his Gers duck having been denied a maiden goal when Abdallah Sima was credited with netting the winner against the Spaniards in Glasgow at the start of December.
Davies said: “It felt good. I thought that I got my first goal against Real Betis but the cameras didn’t show that! It was a bit of a scruffy finish today but it was just the same sort of thing, following in.
“I kicked it, he’s saved it and then it’s hit me again. So it was a bit lucky in the end but I’ll definitely take it. It’s a good feeling.”
Clement hailed the impact of the returning stopper. And the Rangers boss said: “I was happy I could give him these minutes.
“He is there now because he has been training well all this time and he has been really professional. I have to say that about all the squad.
“Everyone has been working really hard in the last couple of months and then you get the reward of being ready to step into a game and having confidence and quality. A lot of training is even more difficult than some games for the players so they rise in quality in that way.”