Highlights

• Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers admitted that fan unrest over his performances got to him but he has used it for motivation.
• Dessers scored the only goals in a 2-0 win over Hearts at Hampden Park to send Rangers into the Scottish Cup final vs Celtic.
• He has had to carry the brunt of the striker responsibility this season with injuries across the front line.

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers was the Hampden Park hero as his brace downed Hearts at the national stadium to set up a tantalising Scottish Cup final clash against bitter rivals Celtic - but after a slow start to the season for the Nigerian, he has admitted that fan jeers got to him though it has helped him finally find some good form in a Light Blues shirt.

Dessers signed for Rangers from Italian outfit Cremonese in the summer, though he suffered a slow start as he only scored two goals in his opening 10 Scottish Premiership games to leave fans underwhelmed with his signing. His form has picked up since, however, and three braces since mid-February and a superb strike in the Europa League against Real Betis has seen him finally deemed as a first-choice forward at Ibrox.

It's not been the best of seasons overall for the 29-year-old, yet he's admittedly found his feet under Philippe Clement - and whilst fans weren't entirely on board at first, Dessers has admitted that their jeers and groans have helped him become a better player mentally. But after his double-salvo against the Jambos at Hampden, he claimed that they were the types of games he wants to play and succeed in - despite having to win fans over after some desperately poor outings.

Cyriel Dessers: Rangers Fan Jeers "Got To Me"

The Nigerian is up and firing now but not after a slow start to Ibrox life

Speaking after his brace against Steven Naismith's side, Dessers, who earns £27k-a-week at Ibrox, said that he had learned from his past experiences and used it as a springboard for the present.

"At the start I think it got to me. That’s something I learned from as well. Now I have everything in line, in my head as well. When there’s noise now I can shut it out and I think that’s what we all need to do over the next few weeks.

“It’s not been easy, it’s not the first time this season either. But after a difficult week or result we always bounce back and we did so again against Hearts.

“Obviously, all eyes in the country were on us and what we were going to do after the last two results. But if you can show this character, at Hampden, in a semi-final, against a good team then I think that says a lot about this team.

“It doesn’t sound very positive if you say every time you win there’s relief. But you have to enjoy these moments, not only today but I think about the Benfica game.

“Okay, we lost and we were devastated we didn’t qualify. But when I came home I said these are the games I want to play in for Rangers. These are moments you want to enjoy. This is why we play football. But we know what we have to do next week.”

Cyriel Dessers' Rangers Career So Far

In light of his bad form, the striker has stood up to the plate

Dessers had been battling two other new signings for the striker spot at the start of the season. Danilo was bought from Feyenoord and Sam Lammers arrived from Serie A outfit Atalanta, but neither have managed to nail down a starting space. Lammers' spell did notgo as planned, with the Dutchman departing after six months where he is currently on loan at FC Utrecht, and Danilo has had a tough time after suffering a knee injury in early December - and he hasn't featured since.

That makes Dessers' run a lot easier to manage, and with Kemar Roofe also undergoing an injury nightmare, the pressure has been on Dessers to deliver all season - and with a tally of 19 goals and eight assists in his first season so far, it's not been underwhelming - though there is room for improvement.

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 22-04-24.