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• Steven Davis vows to ‘give his all’ after being put in interim charge of Rangers

  Steven Davis is determined to  make the most of his chance in the Rangers hotseat as he admitted it came sooner than expected.

  The 38-year-old Northern Ireland international, who had two successful spells as a player at Ibrox, was asked by the Gers board on Sunday evening to take the reins until they appoint a new permanent boss following the departure of Michael Beale.

  The former Gers midfielder, who had been returning to fitness at the Ibrox club after a serious knee injury despite his contract expiring in the summer, will be assisted by fellow former Rangers players Alex Rae and Steven Smith, as well as coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.

  Speaking in Cyprus ahead of the Europa League clash with Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night, Davis spoke about a “whirlwind” few days while addressing his future.

  “Obviously it came out of the blue,” said Davis, who revealed Nicolas Raskin and Kemar Roofe have returned from injury.

  “Sunday evening, I was just at home. It wasn’t a call that I was expecting.

  “Things moved very fast and I came in on Monday morning and I started to work.

  “It was James Bisgrove (chief executive) and Craig Robertson (board member) that I received the phonecall from.

  “Obviously it was a bit of a whirlwind after that. I went off the phone and I had a few conversations but my decision was made very quickly.

  “I was honoured by the fact the board had that conversation and my name came up and they put their trust in me to try and do this job.

  “I’m going to give it my all to try and be successful.

  “Listen, there’s not been any conversation in terms of a time frame. I all happened very quickly.

  “I was asked to come in and take the game tonight. How things play out after that I’m not too sure.

  “Regarding my feelings around it, I’ve obviously got ambitions. I did not quite expect it to happen quite as soon.

  “I’m just determined really to make the most of the opportunity I’ve been given and we will see what develops from there.

  “I’ve got the experience of Alex Rae in beside me and Colin Stewart and Steven Smith and Brian.

  “I’ve had a lot of messages from managers I’ve worked under. Unfortunately I’ve not had a chance to respond because it’s been quite intense preparing for this game.

  “I appreciate the support I’ve been given but I haven’t had the chance to reach out to anyone or felt the need to just yet.”

  Beale departed the club following the 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox which left the Light Blues seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic, albeit they beat Real Betis 1-0 in their first Europa League fixture.

  Davis insists it is time for everyone at the club to “step up”.

  He said: “‘Listen, there’s a lot of character within the dressing room. There’s a lot of leaders in there as well.

  “Everyone knows it’s time to step up. The great thing about football is you get another opportunity to turn things around.

  “It’s not a position we want to be in. Everybody is hurting from it.

  “The main focus is first and foremost getting a result on Thursday and building on it from there.

  “We won our opening group game. We are in a strong position and we want to build on that

  “I think for us we just want to give the boys the freedom to go out and play to their strengths really.”

• Celtic urge fans to stop using pyrotechnics after another UEFA fine

  Celtic have repeated their request for supporters to stop using pyrotechnics after being hit with another fine from UEFA.

  The club said they had been fined 23,400 euros (about £20,260) after fans lit fireworks in the stands ahead of their Champions League group opener against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

  A spokesperson for Celtic said: “Clearly, we are concerned that, despite repeated requests and safety warnings, a small minority continue to use pyrotechnics at Celtic’s matches.

  “The use of pyrotechnics represents a serious risk to the safety of our supporters.

  “Celtic has been hit with another significant sanction by UEFA due to this behaviour. Again, the club requests that this conduct stops.”

  News of the fine came hours before their first home game of the competition against Lazio.

• Suriname's Robinhood, Dom Rep's Atletico Pantoja vie for second Group B semis berth

  Suriname side Robinhood will be looking to seal their spot in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club semifinals when they take on Atletico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic in what is expected to be an intriguing Groub B showdown at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, o Thursday.

  Robinhood currently sit in second position on six points, just one point behind leaders Harbour View of Jamaica, while Atletico Pantoja remain alive in the hunt for a semifinal berth, in fourth place on three points.

  Robinhood can guarantee their semifinal place with a draw and could even capture group honours with a win, provided Harbour View drop points in their fixture against Cibao FC, also of the Dominican Republic.

  However, an Atletico Pantoja win by a two-goal margin, would be enough to send them through to the Caribbean Cup semifinals ahead of Robinhood.

  Needless to say, the night should provide plenty of great drama with so much at stake.

  Robinhood have been buoyed by striker Shaquille Cairo, who has four goals in the tournament, making him the joint top-scorer along with Shaniel Thomas of Cavalier.

  Cairo has been as consistent as they come, scoring in all three of Robinhood’s games and has gotten help from Tuur Don, who has two assists. Jamilhio Rigters also has contributed after scoring in their last outing, a 3-2 loss to Harbour View.

  Atletico Pantoja have played to three straight 1-1 draws in the group, so they will need to break that streak with a full three points if they are to advance.

  Jhon Mosquera has played a vital role as playmaker with two assists, while Ronaldo Vasquez has been one of the most active players in attack with 10 shots and 84 completed passes, along with two ball recoveries.