Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack has opened up on the injury nightmare that saw him miss two months of action for the Premiership table-toppers.
The former Aberdeen man finally made his long-awaited comeback in Saturday's 5-0 win at home to Ross County, netting the fourth with a precise left-footed finish after coming off the bench in the second half.
It was his first appearance in light blue since November 22nd after a knee issue sustained in a 4-0 win over the Dons.
And he makes no bones about it - the past weeks have been extraordinarily tough despite his side continuing to the pinnacle of Scottish football without his presence.
Rangers now lead Celtic by 23 points in the top flight and as it stands are a maximum of nine victories from the remaining 13 games from sealing the title.
And Jack insists he wants to help out however he can in delivering that coveted league trophy.
He told Rangers TV : "It was a huge performance from the team, five goals and another clean sheet, a lot of positives.
"So I'm delighted for the team and, personally, I was delighted to be back.
"It was a long six, seven weeks for me. You always hear it as a player you want to be on the pitch helping as much as you can.
"It was obviously frustrating, it was tough, but at the same time, it gave me time to think things through and make sure mentally I was right for when I came back and for when I'm needed to make a big push until the end of the season.
"You're at home watching games on TV or you're at Ibrox, you're a fan supporting the team and I tried to do that as best as I could."
Holding midfielder Jack isn't well-known for his scoring ability but he insists the goal was delivered straight from one of manager Steven Gerrard's Auchenhowie routines.
He added: "It's not what I'm known for, to be honest.
"The pass just opened up and I think the whole week of training we based it on passing forward and running - as soon as you pass the ball, follow it.
"It just stemmed from what we'd practiced all week, I just passed to the striker, it was a great first touch from Ianis (Hagi) and passed, ran into the box and thankfully managed to slot it home.
"It's not just about me, it's about the team and how we all performed, and I'm sure if we do that on Wednesday night we'll get a positive result.
"It's something I've wanted to add to my game, getting forward and trying to influence the game.
"Hopefully from now until the end of the season I can play a big part."
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