Before Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final, every time I was asked if Dundee could beat Rangers at Ibrox, I replied that they could and should.
That assertion was based on a number of factors.
Mark Warburton’s side are cruising to the Championship title but in their meetings this season with Premiership clubs, they have certainly not had it all their own way.
They struggled to overcome Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup and were famously knocked out of the League Cup at home by St Johnstone.
Rangers would also be facing a Dark Blues side with spirits high following a more than creditable draw at Parkhead last Wednesday night and I was sure that Dundee’s front three of Greg Stewart, Rory Loy and Kane Hemmings would cause lots of problems for Rangers.
Dundee’s rearguard had also posted five clean sheets in their last six games so it was understandable that I was not alone in feeling the Dark Blues could progress into the semi-finals.
Instead, Rangers delivered what proved to be a near knock-out blow after just 13 seconds. Dundee simply never recovered from the loss of that early goal with a rampant Rangers running the show from then on.
The defeat will be a bitterly disappointing one not just for the Dundee players but their manager Paul Hartley who from the first day of the season had identified cup success as one of his main targets.
However, the Dark Blues now have to regroup and focus all of their energies on securing a second consecutive top-six finish in the league.