Jack Butland reveals why his Rangers clanger against Hearts really hurt as he vows it’s not happening again

Butland dropped a clanger like nothing he’d ever done before in his career and he’s determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again

Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland dejected

It was a goal he hadn’t conceded before in his career and probably won’t again.

And for 48 hours at least, Jack Butland beat himself up about his Tynecastle torture.

When Lawrence Shankland scored Hearts’ second in their recent win over Rangers, the English keeper knew he was at fault.

It was a bad day at the office for Butland – and Danny Rohl’s side – as they were beaten 2-1 by the Premiership leaders.

He was guilty of mistakes which have been uncharacteristic for him this term.

The 32-year-old has been one of the Gers’ top performers and on Saturday against Motherwell, he was back to his best.

Butland produced four top class saves – which included a stunning stop to deny Callum Hendry – as Rohl’s men secured a vital 1-0 victory.

It helped erase his Edinburgh nightmare from six days previously.

Butland was bemused by his failure to keep out Shankland’s strike, which deceived him at his near post. But a wealth of experience has taught him to deal with setbacks. And that’s why he was able to return to form against The Steelmen.

The Rangers goalie is one of Rohl’s key men – on and off the pitch – and he wasn’t about to let one glaring error spoil an impressive individual campaign.

Rangers’ Jack Butland looks dejected

When asked what he put his Tynecastle display down to, Butland said: “That’s what plays with you. You can’t put it down to anything.

“I’m not sure I’ve conceded a goal like that second goal in my whole career.

“The scenario of it, the timing of it, the manner of it. But this game, especially with goalkeeping, has always got a way of reminding you that you’re human and it’s difficult.

“You feel great going into it and you feel good within the game. It’s just one of those things. You have to put it down to a moment and move on.

“As difficult as it was for that first 24 or 48 hours – and there was a lot of thinking about what I could have done differently – the reality is I train for every situation.

“I push myself every day and that’s what I got back to last week.

“I felt great the minute I got back out on the grass. Because I know I’m important. I need to be important for this team. I was really, really disappointed in that game and the moments within it where I could have helped. But that’s the life of a goalkeeper.

“I’m not blasé about it, I don’t not care about it. It’s difficult but you have to just go past it.

“I feel like I’ve had some really important inputs for this team throughout my time at Rangers and certainly in the early part of this season.

“Hopefully Saturday was a sign that I can still do it. I believe I’m going to help this team.”

Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland celebrates

The horror show at Hearts couldn’t have come at a worse time for Butland and Rangers.

It was a critical game lost in the Ibrox club’s quest to get back in the title race. And of course, it was just four days before Christmas when Butland was set to spend quality time with loved ones.

The England international was gutted at his display but quickly regained some perspective.

He said: “I had a great time with my family and it was probably time that I needed to have.

“Perhaps in my younger years I could let things like that dwell and really start to leak into the following game. But that just doesn’t help you at all. We’re goalkeepers, we concede goals.

“Some, we can do things about but sometimes we can’t. It’s part and parcel of it.

“In those first 48 hours, I wasn’t too pleasant to be around. But then there’s a job to do because I knew that I needed to be at it on Saturday.

“I felt good in training last week and really confident going into the Motherwell game.

“Now, we just get back to basics again and try to beat St Mirren on Tuesday.”

(Image: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock)

Butland, along with the entire Rangers squad, have had to field flak all season for their below-par Premiership performances.

They’re currently third in the league and fighting to get involved in the title race.

They face a huge five days, with the Buddies visiting Ibrox before a trip to Celtic Park for an Old Firm derby.

But incredibly, six clean sheets under Rohl means Gers now have the best defensive record in the top flight.

Butland has played a massive part in that and believes they’re moving in the right direction.

He said: “It’s criticism that I’ve had to share. I was obviously disappointed with the Hearts game.

“But we’ve had injuries and a lot of young players in the back line. It’s difficult when that’s the case.

“In fairness, I think they’re all growing and we’re getting better.

“Those six clean sheets in the league are really going to help us going forward.

“We’re really pleased that we’ve been able to do that.

“Personally, I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I was really focused on putting in a good performance on Saturday.

“You can never make up for things but the life of a goalkeeper is that you dust yourself down, get on with it and try to be important for the team.

“We helped each other at the weekend and came away with a good win.”