McLeish hails Rangers’ win as Livingston thump Spartans

RANGERS manager Alex McLeish insisted it was vital his players showed character against Kilmarnock following their CIS Insurance Cup exit.

The Ibrox side defeated Killie 2-0 yesterday to set up a Tennent's Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Old Firm rivals Celtic. McLeish claimed a win was vital after Hibernian beat them to a place in the final of the CIS Insurance Cup.

Ronald de Boer and Shota Arveladze scored after half-time but McLeish feared Rangers' poor finishing was set to cost them again.

Livingston manager Davie Hay paid tribute to his players after thumping the Spartans 4-0 in the Cup fourth round even though they could be just hours from the sack.

He expects players to be made redundant on Tuesday as the administrators attempt to keep the club afloat.

But they responded in admirable fashion given the uncertainty hanging over their futures to book their place in the CIS Insurance Cup final and Scottish Cup quarter-final.

"I thought the second-half performance was good.

"The first-half we expected it to be hard and the pitch made it difficult but in the second half we improved and took chances," said Hay.

Derek Lilley was their hero again with a hat-trick at City Park having scored from the spot against Dundee on Tuesday. David Fernandez, who is expected to return to Celtic, also got on the scoresheet as a second-half goal blitz from the top-flight team avoided any chance of a giant killing.

Celtic goal hero Stilian Petrov has revealed that Neil Lennon's team-mates do not like coming face to face with him in training because he is "like a dog" on the pitch.

Manager Martin O'Neill felt that the Hearts players and supporters tried to provoke the midfielder in the Tennent's Scottish Cup fourth-round tie at Tynecastle on Saturday.

But they went down 3-0 and had Paul Hartley and Alan Maybury dismissed for poor fouls on Lennon.

Petrov believes his teammate is targeted because opposition, and his own team-mates, find it hard to cope with his must-win mentality.

Petrov's first-half double took his tally to six goals in his last seven games with Henrik Larsson setting both up.

The Swedish striker also scored himself late on.

Tennents Scottish Cup: fifth round draw: Aberdeen v Livingston, Celtic v Rangers, Partick v Clyde or Dunfermline, Motherwell v Inverness C T.

Matches to be played weekend of 7th/8th March.