Walter Smith believes the sending offs of Kevin Thomson and Danny Wilson inspired his team to Co-operative Insurance Cup victory. Despite being under pressure from opponents St Mirren throughout, Rangers came away from Hampden with the silverware in a 1-0 win, thanks to a Kenny Miller headed winner seven minutes from time.
The Paisley side had controlled large spells of the cup final but had failed to convert their dominance into goals, leaving themselves open to the sort of counter attacking play that eventually lead to their downfall.
St Mirren had a golden opportunity to capitalise when Rangers were reduced to nine men but Smith thinks that it had the opposite effect, instead galvanising his team and and spurring them on to their 26th League Cup win.
“As far as the game was concerned, it was a strange one,” Smith said after the game. “St Mirren were the best side up until we got Kevin Thomson ordered off. Then we proceeded with 10 men to have our best spell in the game until young Danny got sent off.
If anything it woke us up a little bit because we hadn't been at our best prior to both ordering offs. I said to the lads at half time we had not acquitted ourselves well in the first half.
“You could see the lift that getting themselves into a final had on St Mirren. They had an extra edge to their game we didn’t have until we faced the orderings off.”
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Wilson’s red card for hauling back Craig Dargo just outside the area opened the door to wave after wave of St Mirren attacks, leaving Rangers defending desperately to keep themselves in contention.
The substitution of Kris Boyd for Steven Naismith with 12 minutes to go then changed things dramatically and the former Kilmarnock winger set up Miller for his winner just five minutes after his introduction.
“Once we went down to nine men it was just a matter of trying, I felt, to hold on,” admitted Smith. “But we managed to break away and it was a great goal.
“It was a great cross by Steven Naismith and a terrific header by Kenny Miller. We just had to hold on until the end and we managed to do that. I am really pleased for all the boys.”
Rangers’ players will have to put their celebrations on ice for the time being as attentions turn to completing a possible domestic treble.
Dundee United lie in wait next in a Scottish Cup quarter final replay and Smith knows their ambitions of winning three trophies could easily come crashing down around them at Tannadice on Wednesday.
“I keep saying to people it is an extremely difficult thing to do,” warned Smith. “For us, we are delighted to have won the League Cup but we can as easily as that be out of the Scottish Cup on Wednesday night.”
