Allan McGregor admits there was no way he was going to bring down the curtain on his playing career in front of an empty gallery.
The Rangers fans’ favourite is basking in the glory of lifting the title for the first time in a decade after a season in which he defied his 39 years to be crowned as the club’s Player of the Year.
McGregor was at the top of his game as Steven Gerrard’s side romped to the title unbeaten, conceding only 13 goals in 38 games.
But with his 40th birthday looming midway through next season many Light Blues fans feared the goalkeeper would decide to bow out at the top.
Now McGregor has revealed that was never in his thinking.
Not after a season like no other where he and his team-mates couldn’t share their success with the support due to grounds remaining locked amid the coronavirus crisis.
The shot-stopper – who kept 22 clean sheets in 42 games last term – said: “You can’t call it a day when there are no fans there. I couldn’t do that.
“I need to play in front of a full Ibrox again and my body feels all right. If I felt that I couldn’t do it any more, I wouldn’t waste my time or the waste the club’s time either.
“I feel like I can still play, although that might change after pre-season! But I feel fine so why not keep going and try to win more?”
It’s a fourth Scottish title for McGregor who had spells at Besiktas and Hull City in between leaving Ibrox in 2012 and returning in 2018.
The veteran admits it took a little longer to return the club to the top of the tree than anyone would have wanted.
In the end the pressure was intensified with Celtic on the verge of making 10-in-a-row history.
But the timing makes it all the sweeter for McGregor, who told the Rangers official souvenir magazine: “After the length of time we never won it, getting the trophy back was all we wanted.
“Every season it should be our aim to win the title. That’s what this club is all about.
“It’s hard to build a new team with a lot of new signings and it takes time to get to know the manager and the way he wants to play.
“But over the last three years you have seen a massive change in the way we play. It’s exciting, people enjoy it and every player knows their job. It took a wee bit longer than we wanted to become champions again but we got there.
“I think the more points you go in front, the more you believe it will happen. But the message throughout was to concentrate on our own games and results.
“Once the title was won, it was a feeling of relief, joy and happiness – not just for me but for millions of people across the world.
“Just to be part of that was a special moment.
“I don’t think you can compare it to past title success we’ve had because they were all won in their own way.
“They were all as enjoyable as each other. This is the earliest we have won it while the rest have been quite exciting, last day kind of stuff.
“This one has been different but, at the same time, you are still winning the league and for this club every title success is precious.”
Rangers stormed to the title in style, breaking records left, right and centre as they completed an unbeaten league campaign.
For the first time they burst through the 100-points barrier, they finished with a biggest-ever points margin – 25 – over Celtic and broke Chelsea’s British record for fewest goals conceded in a 38-game season having let in just 13.
McGregor reckons the 1-0 New Year win over Celtic at Ibrox – which took them 19 points clear of the Hoops who had three games in hand – was pivotal.
He said: “Every three points is massive, it doesn’t matter who they come against. But I just thought that was a massive result.”
