MURTY: WE’LL BOUNCE BACK IN DERBY SEMI

From Back Page on Sunday will make him a better manager.

The Ibrox boss is already gearing up for another crack at Brendan Rodgers’ side at Hampden.

He said: “For a first Old Firm experience for some of our players it was a positive learning experience. I will be better for this experience.

“I have never experienced an atmosphere like it in my life and I have been at Parkhead, I have played in front of 75,000 at Old Trafford and I was not prepared for the wall of sound which hit me when we scored our first goal.

“I have nothing to equate that to and as a learning experience, as a young manager, and as hard and bitter as it feels right now I will be far better for it.

“I wish we had won but I’ll be better prepared and able to deal with things like that in the future.”

Murty lamented his side’s failure to kill off 10-man Celts when they had the chance but having pored over the footage he has found plenty of positives.

He said: “I was really down after the game because we had let that opportunity slip. I was really down on our tempo, our passing of the ball and the goals we conceded.

“Since watching the game back, there is lots to be positive about and lots we can get better at. But for the width of a goal post I am sitting here smiling but when playing against people of that quality we can’t afford to give them easy opportunities.

“We must identify the things we did really well then go and exploit them in the semi-final.”

Speaking on Rangers TV, Murty revealed Old Firm crock David Bates has not suffered a broken ankle but the club are sweating on the results of tests.