Connor Goldson confesses to feeling Rangers pressure for Celtic showdowns and why it's a lie to say otherwise

Upfront Connor Goldson has confessed he feels the pressure in the build-up to facing Celtic as the Rangers defender bared all about the unflinching reality of life in a football-mad city.

The 31-year-old – who dropped to the bench for the Scottish Cup semi final with Hearts – stressed the importance of the four Premiership fixtures each season, with Rangers still seeking their first league with only a visit to Celtic Park remaining. Philippe Clement's side are winless in their last three league games and trail the champions by three points with five make-or-break fixtures remaining.

And Goldson has refused to sugarcoat the enormity of the build-up before facing Celtic and the unforgiving nature of coming up short in Scottish football's most storied rivalry. Speaking on the Talking Transitions podcast, Goldson said: "It's difficult, not difficult, but if I sat here and said you don't feel any of the pressure I would be lying. When I first came I wanted to play well myself, thinking about my own career and myself, just 'okay focus on you, play well', now, all I care about is winning, if I play good, if I play bad, obviously you want to play well don't get me wrong, but all I care about is the result at the end of it, if you win it's amazing, if you lose it's horrendous.

"Especially now, as you get older, you realise the prizes that you win as a team is more important than you. If I play well in an Old Firm and we lose, you lose the league, i'm rubbish anyway. if I do bad in an Old Firm you win, and win the league, you're amazing, the result wins because the Old Firm, realistically, it'll decide a season. The four of them if you do well in them obviously you've got a big chance to win the league, if you do bad in them then you've got a big chance of losing the league.

"We've had ones where we've been the better team and lost, we've had ones where we've been the better team and won, we've had ones where we've been the probably worst team and lost, we've had ones where we've been the worst team and won, so every single one's different, the where it's at different, if you're at home compared to being away, you know, obviously away from home you're probably going to be under more pressure.

"At home you know your fans demand you be on the front foot and they demand tackles, a tackle in an Old Firm is a goal, if there's a 50/50 tackle in the Old Firm it's a goal. As if you lose it, at home, the place will literally boo. That's how mental it is, they just want passion and you to show your committed. That is their life."