Dowie fears reaction to Falkirk
Saturday, 24th Sep 2011"I had five good years at Rangers but it doesn't make it any more special to play against them."
Andy Dowie has suggested that Rangers defeat to Falkirk on Wednesday night in the Scottish Communities Cup is the worst result that he and his team mates on Saturday could have hoped for:-
"They are going to be really angry about what happened and looking to take their frustrations out on us. We will need to be ready for that.
"The majority of players look out for the Old Firm fixtures and we are fortunate that we have played a good few games now before facing them. We have a decent amount of points on the board and we go into Saturday with a fair amount of confidence. Obviously it is going to be difficult and we will be massive underdogs but it is a game where we have nothing to lose."
Having been at Rangers as a youth, Andy has good memories of being at Murray Park, it was a great experience for him but he wishes that he had worked harder when he was there:-
"Sometimes you take it for granted just how good the facilities at Murray Park are. You look back and even as a young boy you think you are working hard but then you could have worked harder. Murray Park is different class and the young boys there now are lucky to be training at such a good place."
After seven years in the SFL Andy like the rest of his teammates is keen to make SPL status permanent:-
"We want to stay in the SPL and hopefully finish our careers playing there rather than maybe dropping down and having to fight to get back up from the First Division which is a difficult league to get out of. As I have got older I have looked after myself better and now I feel that I am getting the rewards for that."
Saturday's opponents are immaterial to the 28 year old central defender who promises 100 per cent every game:-
"If selected for Saturday I want to do well for myself so that I can remain in the team. I had five good years at Rangers but it doesn't make it any more special to play against them."
Every effort will be made to keep Rangers out on Saturday. It is always the goalkeeper and back fours' priority:-
"Some goals have been individual mistakes and we need to cut that out but the Manager says that we need to defend as a team, it is down to everybody."
The defence's job can be made much easier if the pressure is taken off them if they can cause Rangers problems at the other end:-
"Last Saturday we took the game to Hibs, especially in the second half. We have dangerous wide players and good strikers but we know at the end of the day its points that matter not performances."
It is the Rangers strikers who will have possibly have the greatest influence on the result, Andy continued:-
"Jelavic played against us last season in a cup game - it was a terrible result but good experience. We need to keep an eye on him a bit better than we did that night because we were gung ho and just went at them. It was a game where we had nothing to lose, the scoreline was a bit flattering but that's what happens if you give teams like Rangers chances they punish you."
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