Source: Team_Talk
Smith relishing Hampden cup final
The Co-operative Insurance Cup final will be the fourth time Rangers have met St Mirren in six weeks - and the sixth in total this season.[LNB]The teams were goalless for 176 minutes of their recent Scottish Cup fifth-round contest before Kris Boyd's late replay goal saw Rangers through.[LNB]The goalless cup tie at St Mirren Park was the only time the Buddies have avoided defeat against Rangers this season but Smith believes there will be an added dimension to Sundays final.[LNB]"It's one of those things that happens in Scotland," he said.[LNB]"We had the same thing with Hamilton Accies. If you have a cup replay then it's just something that we have to put up with.[LNB]"I don't think it takes away from the game, cup finals stand on their own.[LNB]"They have an extra edge there that's maybe not there for some of the league encounters when we play each other time after time.[LNB]"The cup final will bring an extra edge to it. In the manner we play each other, I don't think there will be any surprises.[LNB]"I just think the circumstances of the game are always different in a cup final."[LNB]St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson has played with a back three more often than not in recent weeks after initially getting success with the formation during a league win over Rangers last season and Smith is expecting their opponents to offer strong resistance at the back.[LNB]"That's the way Gus has set his team out, which is the right way for him to do it, in my own mind," the 62-year-old said.[LNB]"They are always extremely difficult to score against and you can see the work that is done on the training pitch by the way the team is set out and the way they play.[LNB]"They play with a great deal of endeavour and enthusiasm. Gus and Andy Millen deserve a great deal of credit for the way they keep them going season after season.[LNB]"When you're fighting against relegation, it's not always easy to keep that enthusiasm going and they have managed to do that.[LNB]"From our point of view, playing against them the number of games we have, at least everybody at Rangers knows what they are in for on Sunday, and the boys will be ready for that."[LNB][LNB] St Mirren v Rangers. Click here to bet.
