Rangers midfielder Nico Raskin is determined to finally lift a trophy with the club, stating his eagerness to win the Premier Sports Cup after the team secured a place in the final. Raskin, who has been with Rangers for nearly four years, has yet to win any silverware and acknowledges this fact has been a source of frustration.
He missed the 2023 Premier Sports Cup final due to injury, despite Rangers defeating Aberdeen 1-0. Following a similar 1-0 victory over Aberdeen in the semi-final last night, Rangers will face Hibs in the upcoming final. Raskin emphasized his personal drive to rectify his trophy-less spell at the club.
"I just want to go and win it," Raskin, 25, said. "My family tell me I’ve won one (trophy), but I tell them I haven’t. When we won this competition previously, I got rested for the first two games - and injured for the next two. So that’s not me winning it. Yeah (it annoys me). I think I’ve been here a long time and we’ve worked so hard. Not having that is difficult, but hopefully next month we’ll win one. I’m just happy to get to this final with full belief and I want to win that cup."
After contemplating a departure from Rangers over the past year, Raskin has reaffirmed his commitment to the team's success for the remainder of the current campaign. He was appointed captain by manager Derek McInnes for the semi-final match and felt he repaid the manager's trust with the hard-fought win.
Rangers eventually broke down a resilient Aberdeen side when Ryan Naderi scored the decisive goal with seven minutes remaining. Raskin believes that winning the Premier Sports Cup could serve as a catalyst for further achievements this season.
"Listen, it’s not going to be an easy season. It’s a long season," he stated. "But the main thing is to keep focused and keep working towards the goal. We need to keep believing in the manager and what we’re doing, then we’ll be there. Things happen for a reason (in terms of what happened with transfer interest) and I’m looking forward to that game next month in the final. Hopefully we can achieve something good this season that will lead us to a more exciting season."
Raskin acknowledged the difficulty of the semi-final, noting that Aberdeen presented a significant challenge. "Aberdeen gave us a difficult game. If you think you’re going to have an easy game, coming out and winning 4-0, you’re wrong. The other team is coming with a plan and it’s a big game for them, also. It’s not easy to win football games. So you go out and give the best performance you can."
He also praised manager Derek McInnes, saying, "In terms of the manager, he breathes Rangers and he gives that to us. It’s so good to have someone like him driving us every day and on the pitch. I’m delighted for him and hopefully we can win it for him too."
McInnes had prepared the squad for a tough encounter, as Raskin recounted: "He told us that it wasn’t going to be easy. That if we turn up and do everything we have to do, then we’d win the game. We couldn’t come out with complacency and think it would be easy to score four goals. It’s a hard game that isn’t easy to win, so we have to enjoy it when we do."