Andy frustrated with only a treble
RANGERS striker Andy Little notched the first treble of his career — then claimed he should have had two hat-tricks following an opportunityladen afternoon.
The Northern Ireland internationalist boosted his season’s tally to five as Ibrox hosted its first Third Division match but admitted he got greedy and became wasteful after half-time.
He said: ‘I’m delighted to get my first hat-trick but I probably could have had two,’ he smiled. ‘At half-time, the manager told me to go and get my hat-trick but I probably tried a bit too hard and got greedy.’
Manager Ally McCoist announced himself pleased with Little’s contribution but he, too, admitted the striker could have been even more productive.
He said: ‘There is always something happening when Andy is in town, that’s for sure. He probably should have had another two goals and there was one he should have squared for Fran Sandaza, too.’
Rangers had found themselves a goal down inside three minutes after Carlos Bocanegra, looking well off the pace, bundled over Michael Herd in the box and conceded a penalty, which Paul Quinn slotted home.
‘I don’t think our initial reaction to that was great,’ admitted McCoist. ‘I thought we got going after about 20 minutes but I’d been saying all week I’d been a little concerned about our defending after Peterhead last weekend.
‘I had no problems with the penalty and, once we got going, I thought we were all right. I was very pleased with our secondhalf performance.’
McCoist also had special praise for 17-year-old winger Barrie McKay, who excelled after appearing as a substitute for Dean Shiels, who hobbled off midway through the first half.
‘He was magic today,’ said McCoist of McKay. ‘The things I’m most pleased about are not necessarily the things that stood out, though — I was impressed by his retention of the ball and decision-making.’
As soon as his team had reached four goals, McCoist brought on Brazilian defender Emilson Cribari for his debut.
The Rangers chief certainly hasn’t brought in Cribari, Ian Black, Shiels, Sandaza and Kevin Kyle just to win the Third Division, so a full assault on the cup competitions can be expected.
Tuesday’s Ramsdens Cup clash at Falkirk, where McCoist’s team lost in the same competition last year, has taken on huge significance in the context of the club’s season.