Rangers boss Russell Martin has challenged his team to claw their way back into a title fight with Celtic and Hearts.

Martin finally got his first league victory as manager when Max Aarons scored a dramatic last-minute winner to secure a 2-1 triumph at Livingston.

Nonetheless, a significant portion of the Rangers fans persisted in their demands for the manager’s dismissal, continuing their chants for his departure even after the match ended.

‘I believe we’re chasing multiple teams right now; it’s not solely about one team,’ stated the embattled Rangers manager, as Hearts lead them by nine points at the Premiership table’s summit, while Celtic hold a seven-point advantage.

‘We must be genuinely relentless and exceedingly eager to secure victories, ensuring we’re in the desired position by the season’s conclusion. So, today marks a crucial step for us, in my view, and we should use it as a driving force to propel ourselves forward.

Under-fire Rangers boss Russell Martin wants their dramatic win at Livingston to be a catalyst 

Max Aarons gives Rangers their first league victory of the season by firing in a late winner

Livingston boss David Martindale said he was proud of his young players’ performance 

‘I’m extremely proud of the team. We merited the victory. The first half was the finest we’ve played all season, in my opinion. During that period, we played brilliantly and deserved the win. The football was exceptional.

‘We should have scored more goals, for sure. As I said, probably the best performance we’ve put in, we really built on (the win over) Hibs.

‘We didn’t start the second half well. We didn’t control it anywhere near enough. The gap between the first half and the second was big.

‘However, in the final 30 minutes, we dominated their half, with numerous outstanding performances. We altered the formation. The substitutes made a significant impact for us.

‘I’m delighted for the players because they demonstrated their commitment to each other, to us, and to me. I believe that character and resilience have been growing over the past three or four weeks.’

‘In terms of scoring so late to get the win, I think it could be a real big moment for us. They’ll feel really good in the dressing room. I enjoyed their celebrations together.

‘As I said to them, we deserve it but we made it hard for ourselves. The game is always open to interpretation. Mine is that we were brilliant for 45 minutes and then for 25 minutes in the second half, we showed so much character. We were really proud of that.’

With Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh in attendance at their matches over the past week, this was a win which buys Martin a degree of time.

But there were still aspects of the performance which were wholly unconvincing, most notably the significant drop-off after half-time before they rallied to claim a late win.

A large section of the Rangers support chanted throughout the match for Martin to be sacked and continued to do so even after Aarons’ late winner.

Insisting he has no option but to block out the noise, the manager continued: ‘I can’t control it and I can’t waste energy focusing on it.

‘I have to use that energy for the players and the staff inside the building and to try and improve us and to win more games.

‘And hopefully, if we do that, hopefully everyone will be happy. It’s why I went down the tunnel after, because the players were there to enjoy it.

‘So it’s not about me at that point, but they could enjoy it and I have to wait for them in the dressing room.’

Livingston boss David Martindale, who saw Mo Sylla cancel out James Tavernier’s opener, said: ‘I was really proud of the players. We had two young 20-year-olds in midfield. Not many Premiership teams will do that. There were a lot more positives than negatives for us.’