Manager ahead of Ibrox tie

08/08/17: AJ - "Everybody has to have a really good game, everybody has to be at their best."

Dunfermline can rightly regards the Betfred Cup tie against Rangers as just reward for topping their group but manager Allan Johnston dismisses thoughts of it being an end to his side`s involvement in the competition:-

"Obviously you want to win the tie but it is going to have to take a really really good performance to go to Ibrox and get a result.

"It can be a hard place, especially if you don`t score early. They are maybe not getting things their own way. When teams are passing the ball and creating chances then it can quickly turn.

"They are under pressure to win, people expect them to win quite comfortably. We have just got to make sure that we approach the game in the same manner as we did the Hearts game.

"We are looking for the same result but we will need a similar type of performance to win games like that. Everybody has to have a really good game, everybody has to be at their best."

He knows that very well from a remarkable personal victory there as a Hearts player. At Ibrox on a Saturday in January 1996, he scored his first senior hat trick, a rare occurrence there for an away team player and that resulted in 3-0 Premier League win for the Jambos.

"When you go to places like Ibrox you need to defend well. You cannot afford to lose cheap goals but it was one of those days when we played really well as a team. Obviously I was in the right place at the right time to pick up the three goals."

Five years ago the manager took his Queen of the South team to Ibrox in the Challenge Cup. Nicky Clark put the visitors ahead four minutes into the second half but the Gers hit back and Lee McCulloch`s 72nd minute penalty put them 2-1 up. Mark Durnan equalised in 90 minutes and then Johnston`s side won 4-3 on penalties. Given the amount of penalty shoot out practice of late he might settle for that again.

"It would be a great one to go and win. They have a lot of quality players but a lot of new players as well. As I said the pressure is on them."

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