BY ALAN TEMPLE – Capital City Press
Iain Russell insists Queen of the South are out to make amends at Ibrox after crumbling in their last meeting with Rangers.
The Gers ran out comfortable winners at Palmerston Park in August, with a Martyn Waghorn brace adding to goals from Andrew Halliday, Jason Holt and Barrie McKay to secure a 5-1 triumph.
Yet, Queens had competed manfully until Derek Lyle was shown a red card for lashing out at Rob Kiernan after 48 minutes, with the score only 1-0. They subsequently shipped another four goals in 28 minutes.
And Russell says the visitors are determined to do themselves justice in the return fixture.
The 32-year-old told Capital City Press: “We had started the season really well, winning our first three league games of the season, and we were well in the match against Rangers.
“They were dominating possession and scored a decent goal, but we were still hopeful of getting something. The sending off changed the game completely – we struggled to get into their half.
“That sending off might not have altered the result, but it might have changed the scoreline. I doubt it would have ended up 5-1.
“We’ll go to Rangers aiming to get a result this time. Falkirk showed in the last match that it is possible, by almost taking a point. There’s no pressure on us. Everybody expects us to lose to lose the game, but we’re not there to just make up the numbers.”
The Glasgow giants boast a 100 per cent record from their nine fixtures this season, scoring 31 goals in the process.
Echoing his manager’s view this week that Rangers represent “the best” in the Championship, Russell hopes Queens can produce a performance which augurs well for their playoff push.
He continued: “If Rangers are playing at their best then, of course, it will be a struggle.
“We know how difficult it is going to be. They have an 100 per cent record and, at times, we saw how good they could be in the first game we played against them.
“We have a young, hungry squad and we are facing a team packed with international players, at a great venue like Ibrox. Obviously we want to get a result, but it’s also about pitting ourselves against the best in the league.
“There is a run of winnable games after Rangers and it’s important that we put up a performance that sets us up well for those fixtures.”
