Football: Rangers see off Cove to set up plum tie against rivals Celtic
Steven Gerrard his hit out at the SFA ban given to Nathan Patterson after the teenage right-back produced another stand-out display in the Scottish Cup win over Cove.
Patterson was one of five Rangers players handed sixmatch suspensions last week for a breach in C ovid protocols earlier this year – but he and Calvin Bassey were available to play in the thirdround tie after the Ibrox side appealed the decision.
Both performed well in the 4-0 win that set up a Scottish Cup showdown with
Celtic in the fourth round – Jermain Defoe opening the scoring, with two goals from Kemar Roofe and one from Patterson completing a firsthalf romp that demolished their League 1 rivals.
Gerrard believes the SFA should now reconsider last week’s judgement on all five. "Calvin hasn't played for a long time so I thought he did everything he needed to do. Nathan is growing and growing, game by game. It's a shame that he is going to miss games moving forward.
"I'm not too happy over that and I'm not sure Steve Clarke will be very happy as well because unfortunately he's going to have a big ban now. The reason for the appeal is
obvious – we think it’s harsh in terms of what went on on the night. We don’t think everything has been taken into
consideration when you are talking about the boys in terms of age and how damaging it could be for them in their careers moving forward.
“You are talking about one of the brightest prospects ever in terms of right back.
"This kid Nathan is going to go and play for Scotland and all of a sudden the SFA wants to ban him for that long. I don’t see it. I don’t get it.”
Scott Wright was another player who shone and Gerrard added: “You can see where he can go to the next level in terms of his final pass and getting more power in his shooting.
"But I thought, considering it was his first start, it was a really strong performance. I
“made quite a few changes, gave people an opportunity and our players have certainly respected the opposition by putting in a strong showing.
“This cup has become a priority now. We are happy with the home draw and obviously it being Celtic now makes it even more interesting. It will be a tough challenge but one we're very much looking forward to.”
Gerrard, pictured, admitted he was looking for his side to add to their firsthalf goal tally but was satisfied with the overall performance.
He said: "We'd have liked a few more goals, but the boys tried their best. In the main, a very professional job and into the next round we go.
"We want to try and stay unbeaten and there's still a lot to play for. It's the responsibility that comes with representing this club. The league was fantastic, but we want that to be the start and a catalyst for more. We haven't done well in my time here in the cups, so that's something we want to improve on."
Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley admitted he was happy to escape with a 4-0 defeat. "You hope to come here and try to put on a decent performance and just do the basics well," he told Premier Sports.
"After the first half, I am probably happy to come away with a 4-0 defeat."
Last 16 draw: Stranraer v Queen of the South or Hibernian; Motherwell v Greenock Morton; St Mirren v Inverness Caledonian Thistle; St Johnstone v Clyde; Rangers v Celtic; Aberdeen v Livingston; Forfar Athletic v Dundee United; Kilmarnock v Montrose. Quarter-final draw: Rangers/ Celtic v St Johnstone/clyde; Kilmarnock/montrose v St Mirren/ Inverness Caledonian Thistle; Aberdeen/livingston v Forfar Athletic/dundee United; Stranraer/queen of the South/hibernian v Motherwell/greenock Morton.