Resourceful Rangers impress Hutton

Alan Hutton reflected upon one of his best performances after helping Rangers FC to a 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart in their opening Champions League game at Ibrox.

'Team performance'
The 22-year-old right-back was inspirational for Rangers after Mario Gómez had given the German champions an early second-half lead, creating the equaliser for UEFA Champions League debutant Charlie Adam and then winning the decisive penalty which Jean-Claude Darcheville converted sixteen minutes from time. "I'm not sure about it being my best ever game in a Rangers shirt but it's definitely up there," Hutton told uefa.com. "Obviously it was great to be part of both goals - it makes the result that bit more special - but it was a great team performance and we showed a lot of determination to come back the way we did in the second half."

'Written off'
The challenge now for Hutton and his team-mates is to build on the victory over Stuttgart, starting with their next game away against Olympique Lyonnais. With three points already in the bag, the defender has renewed confidence that Rangers can defy the odds by progressing to the knockout stages. "We have been written off since day one, so there no pressure on us," said Hutton. "Of course, it's vital to win your home games especially with the tough games we've got coming up and to get a win in our first game at home is a good start. We can go out and play football and hopefully pick up enough points to take us through starting with the game against Lyon."

Scotland successes
The victory, which leaves Rangers second in Group E behind favourites FC Barcelona after the first round of fixtures, completes a satisfactory couple of weeks for Hutton who also featured for Scotland in their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying wins over Lithuania and France. "Playing for Scotland is a big step for me," added Hutton, who won his fourth cap in last week's 1-0 victory over France at the Parc des Princes. "I'm very pleased to be involved in the great performances we've had over the last couple of weeks. Beating a team like France obviously gives you self-belief which you can then take into games like these. So, everything is going well for me at the moment and hopefully that will continue. I'm just looking to develop further as a player this season and hopefully become an even better player."

'Great character'
Goalscorer Charlie Adam added: “I was surprised to start because I haven’t played for a few weeks but you always have to be ready. To get the win and score a goal with my right foot in my first Champions League game is something special.” Captain Barry Ferguson continued: “The most important thing was to get a win in our first game. We knew it was going to be difficult but all credit to the guys who showed great character to come from behind. It gives us a good platform for the rest of the campaign.”