Rangers manager Stuart McCall considers his team ‘proved a lot of people wrong’ by winning their play-off quarter final against Queen of the South yesterday. Rangers are now looking forward to a two-leg semi-final against Hibs after drawing 1-1 at home and completing a 3-2 aggregate win. After claiming a 2-1 quarter-final first-leg lead at Palmerston, Gers left their fans panicking in the Glasgow return as they fell behind to Derek Lyle's first-half header and they were booed off at half-time as their promotion hopes hung in the balance. But Lee Wallace equalised and Rangers held on through a nervous finish half an hour to advance to the next stage of their promotion bid.
McCall said: "It was more nervous than it should have been. In the first half we played a lot of good football and created a lot of opportunities. But then they scored with their first real attack. However, we probably proved a lot of people wrong. Going in at half-time there would've been folk saying Rangers have bottled it again. But we said to them at half-time, 'if we keep creating we will make opportunities'. We just need to keep it tight at the other end. In the last 10 or 15 minutes, Queens had nothing to lose while we were a bit tense. But it's job done and I'm proud of them."
Rangers will play Hibs at Ibrox on Wednesday before the second leg at Easter Road next Saturday, with the winners set to take on top-flight strugglers Motherwell in the two-legged final. Having had the benefit of home advantage in the decisive leg of their battle with Queens, it will be down to McCall's team to set the pace when Hibs visit this coming midweek. He said: "Hibs have been here and won and we've been to Hibs and won, so I don't think the first leg being at Ibrox makes that much of a difference. There was a lot of tension from the stands today, but on the flip side, the atmosphere was like it was back in my day as a player. It was brilliant. But we knew that if we did not get a result, we would be out. On Wednesday, though, we will have another opportunity in the second leg, so if we can get the same backing I think it will be exciting. We go in on the back of good form - one defeat in 17. When the big games have come along during the back end of this season, we have stood up. We've beaten Hearts here, should have beaten them at their place. We have beaten Hibs. We've got past Queens when there were a few doubters. We are in confident mood. We're looking forward to it and we're ready."