It was a defeat, but it shouldn't have been. We controlled the second half, but failed to create any decent chances until the last minute - and we didn't take it. Rangers didn't create much either, but we switched off and allowed them to score a simple goal in the first half.
They were there for the taking. With so many players missing and those they had fit struggling as the game went on, we should have gone at them. When we finally did change things, there wasn't long left and it was too late. Still, we shouldn't complain too much as it was a much better afternoon than most of us expected. Now we need to repeat that form against everyone else.
It was a day screaming out for Craig Dargo's pace to run at Davie Weir, so of course he was dropped and Paul McGowan took his place. Fortunately, Kenny McLean got a start but he replaced Marc McAusland as we went to a back four. The other change saw Lee Mair, fit after illness, replace Darren McGregor. Poor, injury hit, cash strapped Rangers were only able to name six subs and just the eight internationals from the start, including David Healy, El Hadji Diouf and Steven Davis. So much for being down to the bare bones.
Danny Lennon said before the game we'd play to our strengths (whatever those are) and not be defensive. God knows how we'd have approached the game if we had been looking to sit in as it was clear from the off Michael Higdon was up front on his tod. That's never a good thing, especially with his work rate, and he completely messed up his attempt to cut a Steven Thomson cross into the patch of McLean or McGowan.
Surprisingly for us, our crossing seemed to be half decent. So decent, in fact, that we won a corner when Allan McGregor tipped behind David van Zanten's cross. And when McLean delivered it, we almost took the lead through an unlikely source when Mair's header was cleared off the line by John Fleck before the defender duffed his rebound effort wide.
That was as good as it was to get. McGowan gave away a silly free-kick after fouling Steven Whittaker around 20 yards from goal and it always spelled danger, although Paul Gallacher tipped it over the bar. Unsurprisingly, we had three chances to deal with the corner and took none of them, eventually thumping it out of play again. This time Diouf threw it to Bougherra and his dinked cross was perfect for Kyle Bartley, who had somehow escaped Higdon at the back post to head Rangers in front. Shocking defending, as Alan Hansen would have said if he'd ever watched a Saints game.
Despite that, we were still getting plenty of change down the wings and van Zanten sent in another teasing ball from the right that McLean volleyed over when he should perhaps have headed it. A mix-up in the home defence then saw Gallacher flatten John Potter as he punched the ball clear, leading a few folk to suggest he'd perhaps punched the wrong thing...
Healy set up Maurice Edu who blazed well off target from the edge of the box before Ricard Foster needlessly gave away a corner that was only cleared to McGowan, whose effort was even worse than Edu's!
Despite being behind, it was a decent first half showing and we were unlucky to be behind at the break, with some of our wing play miles better than recent weeks.
Early in the second half the linesman in front of the West Bank decided to give a goal kick when the ball had clearly gone out off a Rangers player (who says there's no Old Firm bias?). Fortunately, the second time Willie Column intervened and when McLean whipped the ball in, McGowan pulled away at the back only to send a shot into the stand. Not to be outdone in the poor effort stakes, Edu found the Rangers fans when he met a Fleck corner.
Things calmed down after that, but there's no disputing the fact Saints were on top. We had by far the better of the possession but, unfortunately, we were unable to do anything with it. It was screaming out for a change and the fans began chanting Dargo's name, but it didn't happen. Instead, in a bid to stem the tide, Rangers replaced Healy and Fleck with Gregg Wylde and Kyle Hutton. Before they'd even bedded in Edu had a chance to put the game beyond doubt, but he got his angles all wrong and his shot went across the face of goal.
Finally Dargo arrived- with a whole 11 minutes left. It was crying out for his pace and Rangers were there for the taking, so why it took so long for him top arrive would be a mystery if Danny Lennon didn't have previous. Dargo came on for Jim Goodwin, who had finally given McGregor something to do just before his departure when he shot straight at him.
While we'd rarely threatened the Rangers goal, they'd hardly threatened the Saints goal until Davis unleashed a good looking volley that wasn't far away. The noise level increased as we pushed in injury time and it almost worked, Dargo setting up van Zanten who sent a shot across goal that sub Aaron Mooy almost managed to get on the end of to force home.
So near and yet so far - fortunately not as gut wrenching as last year's League Cup final! A real chance lost as Rangers were there for the taking, but if we play in this way against everyone else we shouldn't go down. Time well tell if this is how we'll play or just raising our game against a big club as we've seen from teams facing the Old Firm time and time again.
Follow Mirren Mad on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mirren-Mad/177833938918587
Follow Mirren Mad on Twitter @mirren_mad or http://www.twitter.com/mirren_mad