RANGERS may be flying high in Europe, but Hibs kid Damon Gray firmly believes Partick Thistle can bring Walter Smith's side crashing back to earth in tomorrow's Scottish Cup replay.
Gray, on loan to the First Division outfit, stunned Rangers by opening the scoring when they first met at Ibrox and now he doesn't see any reason why he can't do the same again at Firhill.
The 19-year-old hasn't found the net in five matches since
silencing Ibrox a month ago, but today he insisted a goal was long overdue.
Gray is well aware of the huge task facing the Jags given Rangers relentless drive towards the SPL title, their CIS Insurance Cup success, Thursday night's fantastic win over Sporting Lisbon which puts them into the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and their burning desire to complete a clean sweep of trophies by lifting the Scottish Cup.
But despite that outstanding record, Gray claims the poor condition of the Firhill pitch – used for last night's Magner League rugby match between Glasgow and Edinburgh – can prove to be a great leveller.
He said: "The pitch isn't in good condition, it's very bobbly and won't suit Rangers who like to pass the ball. I'm not saying we like it or that we have got used to it, but we know what to expect.
"It can be very frustrating, particularly as a striker when you think you have a chance only for the ball to bobble as you hit it and people don't realise why you've missed the opportunity.
"It happened to me just the other night against Stirling Albion when I thought I was bound to score, but the ball took an awkward bounce and I put it over the bar."
Even so, Thistle went on to win the game, continuing a successful run which has seen them lose just once since Gray arrived, initially on a month-long emergency loan but one which was extended to the end of the season after he scored three goals in his first three matches.
In fact, Ian McCall's side have lost just three of their last 25 matches as they've moved quietly into fifth place in the First Division table with the hope being they can now move into the semi-finals of the Cup with St Johstone awaiting tomorrow's victors.
Gray said: "It's a pretty impressive record although we have drawn a lot of matches. However, we have shown a fair degree of consistency. We don't concede a lot of goals and we are always capable of scoring."
Of his recent goals drought, Gray believes his shock strike at Ibrox has perhaps counted against him as it alerted opposition defences as to the threat he poses.
He said: "It may be that the good start I enjoyed at Thistle served as a warning as to what I can do. It's been frustrating not to have scored since we played Rangers but that's not to say I haven't still been working 100 per cent and I'm confident if I get a chance tomorrow I'll take it."
Some may say Thistle couldn't have picked a better time to be facing Rangers following their midweek heroics in Lisbon but Gray disagrees, explaining: "Yes, Rangers have had a lot of games and they've also had to cope with travelling to Portugal this week, but don't forget we have also had midweek matches over the past month which hasn't done us any favours.
"And, unlike us, Rangers have a big squad. I'm sure they won't have thought too much about tomorrow until they arrived back in Glasgow yesterday morning. I'm sure tomorrow is a fixture they could well do without given the way matches are piling up for them but they'll be anxious to complete the treble as well as now having high hopes of going all the way in the UEFA Cup."
On Rangers' comeback against Dundee United last weekend, Gray said: "Rangers showed great resilience but at the same time they conceded three goals which has to give us a bit of encouragement."
The full article contains 688 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
