Partick 0-2 Rangers: Rangers leave plenty in reserve for bigger tests

WHEN you are fighting on three fronts, having already competed successfully on a fourth, you have to husband your resources with the maximum of care. Three days after winning through to the Uefa Cup semi-final, and three days before a potentially decisive league match against Celtic, Rangers were never going to turn on a bravura performance in this Scottish Cup replay.

They simply did just enough. They rode their luck at times, and were fortunate to end up with a clean sheet, but at this stage of their season they were never going to hare about expending energy unnecessarily.

It was a modest win, unfussy and uncomplicated. They had dallied enough with romance in the first playing of this quarter-final by allowing Partick Thistle to take them to a replay. They were not interested in a repeat flirtation. Two goals in the first half, both of which highlighted shortcomings in the home defence, were enough to keep Rangers' dream of four trophies alive. There will be no respite, however. Having won this one, they now have a date with St Johnstone in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup on Sunday.

With the Celtic game in mind, Walter Smith chose to rest some of his key players and made seven changes from the team which won in Lisbon three days previously. He took out an insurance policy, however, by naming Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch among his five substitutes.

The first chance of the match fell to Thistle in the sixth minute, and was created by Simon Donnelly's clever through ball to David Rowson. As the Rangers defence looked in vain for the assistant referee to raise his flag, Rowson carried on into the box. If his back four had not been alert to the danger, though, Allan McGregor certainly was, and the goalkeeper rushed out to block the Partick player's shot.

The scoring opportunity was not entirely gone, because the ball broke to Marc Twaddle on the left edge of the box. With McGregor out of position the Rangers net was unguarded, but Twaddle could do no better than steer his shot wide.

Rangers had been pinned back to an extent by the home team's spirited opening, and it took them quarter of an hour to create their own first scoring chance. That came when Chris Burke found Carlos Cuellar with a corner from the right, but, while he was first to the ball, the centre-back could not direct the ball as he wanted, and it went just the wrong side of Jonathan Tuffey's goal.

Thistle continued to play an intelligent passing game, which was particularly commendable given the heavy state of a pitch which had been worsened by the Glasgow-Edinburgh rugby match on Friday night. Rangers, on the other hand, were finding it hard to get men forward, and too often their attacks consisted of nothing more imaginative than a hopeful ball down the channels for Nacho Novo or Kris Boyd to chase.

Midway through the half, however, the complexion of the game was altered by the opening goal, created by Chris Burke. Breaking down the right on a firmer patch of ground, Burke produced a change of pace which left the Thistle defence badly exposed. He then sent a well-weighted low cross into the six-yard box, and Novo was there to tap in first time.

Donnelly had a decent effort five minutes before the interval, but McGregor got down well to save low to his left. A minute later Rangers made it two, when Burke headed in at the far post after Boyd had touched on a chip into the box by Novo.

Thistle would have to hit back in the early stages of the second half if they were to have any real hope of a fightback, and were given the perfect chance to do so after 48 minutes with a penalty after David Weir tripped Mark Roberts. Donnelly, pictured left, stepped up confidently, but he pulled his shot wide of the left post.

The same player had another opportunity ten minutes later when the ball broke to him off a Rangers player, but he had little time to compose himself and his shot glanced off the crossbar on its way over. With Rangers apparently content to hold on to their lead, Partick were able to keep mounting attacks, one of which saw Damon Gray, the striker on loan from Hibs, shoot wide when in good position.

Rangers were given a penalty four minutes from time after Burke was ruled to have been brought down. Daniel Cousin, not long on for Boyd, made a clean contact, but Tuffey saved well.

It was an unsatisfactory ending to the game for the Rangers support, but it also ensured the final score was a truer reflection of the play. Thistle, who have only ever won the cup once, in 1921, fought hard to maintain their involvement in this season's competition, and a heavier defeat would have been an unjust return for their efforts.

Partick Thistle: Tuffey, Storey (Murray 84), Robertson, Kinniburgh, Twaddle, Chaplain, Donnelly (McKinlay 65), Rowson, Harkins, Gray, Roberts (Keegan 87). Subs not used: Hinchcliffe, McStay.

Rangers: McGregor, Whittaker, Cuellar, Weir, Smith, Burke, Dailly, Thomson, Naismith, Novo (McCulloch 75), Boyd (Cousin 84). Subs not used: Alexander, Ferguson, McCulloch, Furman.

Man of the match: Chris Burke (Rangers)

The winger found it difficult at times to make progress on a strength sapping surface, but he made his quality tell when it mattered most. The difference between the sides was shown by his involvement in two separate first-half moments, when he first set up the opener for Nacho Novo and then scored the second himself.

McCoist not happy to sit back for draw with Celtic

RANGERS have no intention of sitting back in search of a draw when they visit Celtic on league business on Wednesday, according to Ally McCoist. The received wisdom has been that a share of the spoils would virtually seal the title for the Ibrox side, given their advantage in terms of points and games in hand, but the assistant manager said his team would approach the fixture in a more positive frame of mind.

"It's important we don't lose the vision of the fact that we can go and win the game," McCoist said after the 2-0 win over Partick Thistle which took Rangers through to the last four of the Scottish Cup, in which they will play St Johnstone for a place against Queen of the South in the final. "We can win the game, and if we do that we put a massive dent in their title hopes. That's what we aim to do."

Asked if he would be happy, nonetheless, if Rangers ended up getting a point, he replied in the negative. "No, to be honest with you. I want to go and win the game. Once you start looking at draws, that's when you start getting beaten.

"It wouldn't be over (if Rangers won]. But you'd have to say we'd be massive, massive favourites."

McCoist insisted, however, that the leaders were in no rush to win the league. "Everybody talks about getting the league finished: we just want to win it. In an ideal world you can win it early, but we're certainly not looking at that at all." The former striker accepted that yesterday's match had not been the most aesthetically pleasing, but explained that Rangers had had to adapt to the heavy pitch. "It was a very challenging surface. We weren't going to take any chances at the back or in the centre of midfield – the most important thing was getting the ball forward. Not pretty on the eye, I'll fully accept that, but to win games sometimes you have to take different concerns."

Besides the victory itself, the principal plus point of the afternoon for Rangers was the return to the first team of Steven Smith, who had been out since December 2006 following a pelvic injury. "I was really pleased for wee Smithy," McCoist said. "It has been torture for that lad.

"He's handled it really well and I'm thrilled to bits he's got 90 minutes under his belt. It's a real plus for us."

The full-back himself was understandably pleased to be back. "I'm just delighted to get through the 90 minutes," the 22-year-old said. "Hopefully I've given the manager another option. There are too many games coming up for the manager to play the same starting 11."

After a game in which Rangers did just enough to stay on top, Ian McCall, the Partick Thistle manager, rued the chances to get back into the match which his side had squandered, the most notable of them having been a penalty by Simon Donnelly. "We had chances at key moments of the game," McCall said.

"The penalty was absolutely pivotal. As soon as you see the penalty not going in you know you're not going to beat Rangers or Celtic. If I'm here ten years I'm not sure we'll have a better chance in the cup."