I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more than a few Rangers supporters who were a bit emotional watching their team securing such a brilliant result against Villarreal on Thursday night.

Going away to such a difficult venue and getting two goals in Spain is a great achievement for any Scottish side at any time, but it seemed to be a marker for Rangers arriving as a club that can finally compete at the top level once again.

That journey has yet to be completed, but for the thousands of supporters who made the trip and the many thousands more watching on from home, it must have felt that finally they were being given something back for all those trips to places like Brechin, Montrose and Peterhead. And it feels too that we are now watching a Rangers side that can be in serious contention for honours at long last.

As for the game itself, I thought it was a magnificent result after what had been a relatively poor performance for the first hour or so.

In the first half in particular, I thought that Rangers were sloppy in possession and struggled to get out. Maybe losing a goal so early had an effect on the players, because they never seemed to really settle until after the break.

What they showed more than anything else though was character and grit. To come back from a goal down away from home in Europe is difficult enough, but to then recover from the gut-punch that came just seconds after equalising for the first time was really impressive.

Of course, the manager will be disappointed that his team switched off so soon after drawing level to fall behind again straight away, but Steven Gerrard will be delighted that they had enough about them not to throw in the towel when it would have been easy to do so. Rangers teams of the past couple of years may well have done so, but not this current crop.

The manager deserves huge credit for not only instilling that never-say-die attitude into his players, but also for the substitutions he made on the night which were really effective, particularly with the introduction of Glenn Middleton.

Here is a young Scottish player who could go a long way in the game. He came on and made an immediate impact, driving at his direct opponent and putting the Villarreal defence on the backfoot. And what I like about him as a winger is that he has a consistently good end product.

Rangers supporters will be understandably keen to see more of him in a blue jersey, but while he is such an exciting prospect, it has to be remembered that he is still only 18-years-old. I think that Steven Gerrard is managing his game-time in just the right way at the moment, and he is proving to be a really good option off the bench.

The depth of the squad in general is really pleasing. The likes of Jon Flanagan and Alfredo Morelos, who were suspended for the match in Spain after being sent off against Ufa, have been key players for Rangers in this early part of the season. But Rangers could call on Borna Barisic and Kyle Lafferty to fill those positions, and the two showed their worth by linking up for that stunning second goal for the Ibrox men.

It is vitally important now that Rangers take this form into the league game against St Johnstone on Sunday. Make no mistake, Tommy Wright will have his men well-drilled and up for the match, and don’t forget, they have won at Ibrox in the recent past.

But while there should be no underestimating the Perth side, like the vast majority of Rangers supporters right now, I just can’t wait to get along to the game.

In the last few seasons, there has been an air of doom and gloom around the famous old stadium, but nowadays there is a spring in everyone’s step. The fans have always stuck by the club, even in its darkest moments, but now tickets are like golddust whether at home or away, and there is a smile on everyone’s face.

It feels good to be a Rangers fan once again.