'˜Brand new' Kenny Miller eager for top flight return

Kenny Miller's contract doesn't expire until the end of next season. Picture: John Devlin

Ahead of the trip to Livingston on Tuesday night for what will be the penultimate Championship game for the league winners, the 36-year-old revealed the sense of frustration he felt earlier in the campaign when he did not feature as often as he would have liked.

However, in recent months, and while top scorer Martyn Waghorn has been out with a knee injury sustained in February, Miller has played a more pivotal role for Mark Warburton’s side.

Seven of his 19 goals to date have come in the last 12 games as the Gers wrapped up the title while marching to the William Hill Scottish Cup final against Hibernian which takes place at Hampden Park on May 21 and the former Hibs, Celtic and Cardiff City player feels in good shape to keep on going after the summer.

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“The first four or five months of the season I was kind of in and out and there was a game here, a couple of games there,” he said.

“It was frustrating in a sense because I felt I still have got a lot to offer on the field.

“But in the second half of the season obviously it has been a more regular role, starting the games.

“The manager has done great managing not just me but the rest of the squad.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole season. I still want to be playing and contributing and in the second half of the season I feel I have done that.

“I would definitely say yes at the moment (can contribute next season) but time will tell.

“I feel brand new, I am looking forward to it.

“And I am looking forward to the cup final, what an opportunity for us to finish the season on a real high and achieve European football, which would be a fantastic achievement.

“We know we have a hard game against Hibs but we will be fully ready and prepared for them.”

Miller was speaking at the club’s Murray Park training ground where, along with Warburton, he was helping to publicise the sale of season tickets for the Premiership where costs will return to the levels of five years ago when the club were last in the top flight.

The Light Blues’ boss is looking to increase the numbers from the 38,000 of this campaign.

“The level of support we have received from the fans from day one has been fantastic, the fans have bought into the new staff, new ideas and supported the players and it has helped enormously,” he said.

“If we can get season ticket sales back to the level they were in the good times then we are moving in the right direction.

“I made it very clear, we are not going up there to make up the numbers.

“The Rangers fans that are buying their season tickets wouldn’t accept us going for second, third, fourth, fifth.

“I am not saying we are going to win it. I am saying we are going to go in that league highly competitive and looking to win every game we go in to.”

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