BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
Kenny Miller admits the opportunity to secure the Championship crown in front of 50,000 Rangers fans at Ibrox is some solace for their Kirkcaldy collapse.
However, the Gers stalwart insists Mark Warburton’s men must find a way to remedy their ropey rearguard ahead of a season-defining fortnight for the club.
Rangers shipped three goals for a third fixture in a row when Harry Panayiotou’s 94th-minute equaliser for Raith Rovers salvaged a 3-3 draw for the Fifers on Saturday – and put the Championship champagne on ice.
Rangers will have the chance to make amends tomorrow night and capture the flag with a win over Dumbarton at Ibrox.
But, with the Petrofac Cup final clash against Peterhead and mouth-watering Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic to come, Miller knows the Glasgow outfit must find a way to stop shipping goals as they hunt glory on three fronts.
He said: “It was a hard one to take. It’s another three goals and, coming into a crucial period of games with finals and semi-finals and titles to be won, we’ve only won one game in three, which will see criticism levelled at us.
“We’ve maybe deserved more from games at times, but the facts are there – and we need to stop conceding goals.
“It’s really disappointing because, although we love attacking and scoring goals, we pride ourselves on being tough to beat and tough to break down. It’s not just disappointing for the defenders and big Wes (Foderingham), but for the whole team.
“We’ll look at the game to see where we can get better, because obviously losing the amount of goals we are at the moment is not what we are about, and then move onto Tuesday night.”
And Miller believes securing the title at home would be a fitting reward for the supporters who have experienced the highs and lows, on and off the pitch, during almost four years in the lower leagues.
Optimism
He continued: “We would have loved to have won it on Saturday, but now we have the opportunity to do that in front of 50,000 fans, which would be terrific.
“We’re not taking anything for granted, we’ve got to turn up and do the right things. We have to make sure we win the game and hopefully the fans will enjoy it – because I know we will.
“The level of support has been fantastic, since we’ve been in the lower leagues. Particularly this season, there has been a real optimism and fans have played their part.
“The have earned these big games coming up. The chance to get back to the top flight and win trophies is what they deserve and, as players, we are looking forward to it and we want to deliver.”
