Callum Davidson was left to count the cost of defensive lapses in concentration as his St Johnstone team went down to a 3-0 defeat to Rangers.
But the Perth boss took heart from the overall performance at Ibrox as the McDiarmid Park side seek to gain some Premiership momentum.
Saints had started very well but went behind to a Borna Barisic free-kick midway through the first half and then conceded further goals on either side of half-time.
“I was really pleased with the first half,” said Davidson. “Or should I say first 45 minutes, because we lost a goal in the 46th.
“There was one lapse of concentration from David (Wotherspoon) when he gave away a free-kick for the first goal. You can’t give away stupid free-kicks at Ibrox. He knows that himself.
“I thought we limited Rangers to very few chances in that first half but we went in 2-0 down.
“The message was to not concede early doors in the second half but we lost a goal to a set-play and the game was over.
“What I would say is my players never gave up.
“You could see that they were running about and creating chances right up until the end.
“I’m pleased with a lot of things and I can’t be too disappointed.”
Asked whether the postponement of their weekend clash with Aberdeen was a factor last night, Davidson said: “It’s a difficult one.
“Match sharpness comes with games. But I won’t make excuses because I actually thought we performed well today.
“We’ve got a big game on Saturday against Kilmarnock to look forward to now.”
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard said: “I thought we got really sloppy at 3-0. We let the game die instead of maintaining our standards. Over the course of the 90 minutes, we turned the ball over too much. So there is still a lot to work on.
“You probably think I’m a moaner but even though we won the game comfortably 3-0, we can still learn a lot collectively and as individuals.”
