Cowdenbeath manager Jimmy Nicholl insists his team have the tools to heap more pressure on Rangers and beleaguered boss Ally McCoist when they visit Ibrox today.
Apparently the hosts are in the midst of a cash crisis, McCoist’s tenure is under immense scrutiny and the fans are frustrated after Alloa dumped them out of the Ramsdens Cup in midweek.
But while Nicholl is confident in his players’ ability to get a result from their trip to Govan this afternoon, the Blue Brazil boss is not daft enough to think Rangers are there for the taking.
“It’s a sad day if Rangers feel they have a point to prove against Cowdenbeath,” he joked, reflecting on the post-Alloa furore in the media.
“But for Ally it will be about getting over that disappointment as quickly as they can, and Ally will be looking for a response that’s for sure.
“When you are playing Rangers away from home, all you can ask of your players is to do their jobs properly and do the best they can.
“They all know what their jobs are, and there’s enough ability in my team from the defence through to the middle of the park and up top to suggest that we’ll be OK.
“I’ve said it before that it doesn’t matter who you play in the Championship, Rangers at Ibrox or Livingston at the bottom, anything can happen.
“It’s a nice game for the players to look forward to and they’ll be excited about playing at Ibrox, although I don’t want them over-excited.
“I’ve told them just to play their football and not to play the surroundings.
“We can’t do anything about whatever the atmosphere will be like this weekend, we just have to go there and make sure we do our jobs properly.”
Cowden exited the Scottish Cup last week after going down 1-0 to Falkirk, although it was a vast improvement on their last trip to Westfield when they lost 6-0 in the league.
However, Nicholl was clearly stung by comments allegedly made by Bairns’ boss Peter Houston which suggested Cowden had played “anti-football”.
“If you want your players to be more determined not to lose six like they did the last time, and set up to counter-attack away from home, if that’s anti-football then I don’t know what to believe,” he said.
“If we played anti-football against Falkirk, then I don’t know what we would be playing against Rangers at Ibrox.
“What do you expect? Us to go all out attack away from home? We created a few chances and tried to control possession, and I said to the players: ‘Just make sure you don’t get beat the way you did before’.
“So if the comment about us playing anti-football was said for a reason, I don’t know what that reason could be.”
Midfielder Colin Marshall was forced off last weekend with a groin injury but has recovered from that to make the trip west today, while newly-signed left back Jordan Halsman who latterly played in the Icelandic leagues is expected to join the squad pending the necessary international clearance.
Of the players missing from last week, Nicholl reckons only Jon Robertson has a chance of being fit.