McGowan: Nightmare start made us freeze
SHELL-shocked Paul McGowan admitted that Dundee froze after shipping a goal to Rangers in just 13 seconds.
Boosted by a 0-0 draw with Premiership champions Celtic at Parkhead l ast midweek, when they could easily have taken all three points, the Dens Park side arrived at Ibrox on the back of an eight- game unbeaten run.
However, from the moment left-back Kevin Holt lost the ball to Harry Forrester after just 10 seconds of Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final and the former Doncaster Rovers player fired home, Paul Hartley’s men were second best to a rampant Rangers side.
‘You can’t start like that at these places,’ acknowledged midfielder McGowan.
‘We had a wonderful result in midweek, but to start like that was just criminal. We never recovered from it.
‘It took a lot o ut of t he boys and it shocked a lot of them.
‘It’s so disappointing because we were confident as we had been on a great run.
‘We went to Celtic Park and we played well, we should have won, so coming here we were so confident.
‘ But f air play to Rangers because the best team won on the day.’
Dundee, currently sitting fifth in the Premiership, were fancied by most people to emulate St Johnstone’s League Cup third-round victory at Ibrox last September.
Yet f ormer Celtic player McGowan admitted to being surprised by the gusto shown by Mark Warburton’s team as Dundee blew an opportunity to build on recent progress by reaching the last four.
‘What a chance we had to beat Celtic on Wednesday,’ said the 28-year- old. ‘ We were playing really well and the confidence was oozing through the team, but it has been sapped right out of us.
‘It was just energy- sapping and we’re a fit team, but we looked really leggy and Rangers wanted it more than us.
‘What an opportunity it was to get to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
‘I know how good we can be. It was just so disappointing, I was frustrated more than anything.
‘It’s one that will hurt the boys for a long time to come. These are places you want to go to and show how good you are and we didn’t do that.’
Jason Holt put Rangers further in front after half-time, before goals from Andy Halliday and Lee Wallace completed a satisfying day’s work f or the Championship leaders.
But McGowan stressed that F orrester’ s opener was the real sucker punch f or a life less Dark Blues.
‘ The crowd were right up for it, but the first goal gave them that lift — it was crucial,’ he said.
‘It gave them and their fans so much energy and we struggled to cope with that. ‘After that we froze.’ Kane Hemmings missed a glorious chance when he inexplicably let the ball go past him despite being in an ideal position to beat Ibrox keeper Wes Foderingham..
‘I felt we struggled to get back into the game,’ said McGowan.
‘Kane Hemmings missed a chance for us just before half time and, had that gone in, it could have changed things. But there are no complaints from us because the better team won.’