| The FF match report from the Scottish Cup 5th Round tie between St.Mirren and Rangers. |
St. Mirren 0 Rangers 0
Attendance 4,909
Rangers and St. Mirren will have to do it all over again following this afternoon's goalless draw in Paisley.
It was a less than memorable Scottish Cup-tie watched by a less-than-capacity crowd with many 'Buddies' opting to watch the game on television.
Rangers Manager Walter Smith made four changes from Hampden with Allan McGregor, Kirk Broadfoot, Madjid Bougherra and Steven Naismith replacing Neil Alexander, David Weir, John Fleck and Nacho Novo.
Lee McCulloch captained an Ibrox side wearing all-blue in place of the suspended Weir.
A dour first-half produced little of note, the first worthwhile attempt on goal coming in 31 minutes when Michael Higdon's shot from the edge of the box following an Andy Dorman lay-off was held by McGregor.
Three minutes later Steve Davis saw his header from a Broadfoot chip clawed away by Saints goalkeeper Paul Gallagher.
The interval whistle sounded on a less-than-entralling cup-tie - and Rangers restarted in determined fashion, pressing the home side back into defence as they sought to break the deadlock.
It was far from one-way traffic however - twice on the hour Higdon came close to opening the scoring only to be denied by Bougherra - firstly when his header from a Billy Mehmet cross was blocked, then a chip from a Mehmet flick was cleared off the line by the Algerian Internationalist, newly returned from the African Nations Cup.
That was enough for the Ibrox Management, who promptly introduced both Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller in place of Kyle Lafferty and Naismith.
The Saints big men were still causing problems for the visitors' defence - Mehmet's header from a Lee Mair cross in 66 minutes being held by McGregor.
Twelve minutes later Rangers had a penalty waved away by Referee Iain Brines when Steven Whittaker, receiving a Miller pass, was barged from behind by John Potter.
It was anyone's game now - substitute Craig Dargo seeing his low drive from a David Barron pass turned wide by McGregor in eighty minutes, then Hugh Murray's lob following an Andy Dorman free-kick was touched over by the 'keeper.
The Paisley men looked the more likely to snatch a winner in the dying minutes - Mehmet's drive from the edge of the box from a Dargo pass being beaten out by McGregor - but the tie ended goalless and the two sides must do it all again at Ibrox Stadium on Wednesday 17 February.
ST. MIRREN Gallagher; Ross, Innes, Potter, Mair, Barron; Thomson, Murray, Dorman; Mehmet, Higdon (Dargo 79)
UNUSED SUBS Howard, O'Donnell, Carey, Ramsay
RANGERS McGregor; Broadfoot, Bougherra, Wilson, Smith; Davis, McCulloch, Thomson, Whittaker; Lafferty (Boyd 62), Naismith (Miller 62)
UNUSED SUBS Alexander, Novo, Little
REFEREE Iain Brines |
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