DAVIS KNOWS THE DANGER OF BOYCE

STEVEN DAVIS admits Rangers will have to be wary of Northern Ireland colleague Liam Boyce in tomorrow’s top-of-the-table encounter. Boyce has hit six goals in the Premiership this season — and ten across all competitions — to help Hearts sit just a point behind the defending champions. Davis is confident Rangers can pick up an important win at Ibrox, but he knows they will have to combat Boyce’s threat. The 30-year-old striker has 28 caps for Northern Ireland but asked to be left out of their recent squad for World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Bulgaria. ‘Boycey is a top player and he has shown that consistently in his career,’ said Davis. ‘He is a real goal threat for Hearts in the system they play, so he is one player we will have to be aware of. ‘It will be nice to see Boycey... but hopefully I’ll be coming off the pitch smiling. ‘Hearts have been excellent. They started the season really well and have continued from there. ‘Hearts have momentum and they are the only unbeaten team in the league so far this season. We know the challenge that faces us as they will be determined to try to get a result at Ibrox. ‘We just have to focus on ourselves and perform to our levels. If we do that, we will give ourselves a good chance of getting three points.’ Rangers are back on top of the Premiership despite not hitting their best form this term, but Davis is confident there is more to come from Steven Gerrard’s side. ‘The mindset of the group is that we want to achieve more together and make it another special season,’ the 36-year-old told Sky Sports. ‘We know it’s going to be difficult and that we will face challenges throughout the year. But we have a really focused and determined group of players. ‘How difficult is it as the team being chased? I think that’s more for the media and the hype surrounding the games. ‘For us, we just focus on ourselves. ‘We believe that if we show our quality every week, then we have the ability to retain the title.’