Rangers scrape late winner to dump St Mirren out cup

RANGERS assistant manager Ally McCoist insists the decision to make mass changes for their Scottish Cup replay against St Mirren had nothing to do with a lack of respect for the opposition.

The holders made no fewer than six changes from the side who defeated Hibernian in style in the SPL as they scraped a late win against Saints at Ibrox.

Players such as Kenny Miller, Steven Whittaker and Sasa Papac were rested, while the likes of Steven Smith and Maurice Edu were given a run-out from the start.

But McCoist says Rangers are simply trying to make the best use possible of a more compact squad than previous seasons, with some players still trying to regain match fitness after injury and others in need of some respite.

He said: “It was really pleasing because we had five or six changes tonight and it’s important that we have a full squad to pick from.”