Naismith hails never-say-die spirit

The odds were stacked against Rangers heading into the final 20 minutes after Kevin Thomson and Danny Wilson were sent off against a superior St Mirren side.But the nine men produced a resilient defensive display to deny Saints any more chances and substitute Naismith broke away before crossing for Kenny Miller to head an 84th-minute winner.The triumph was the fifth trophy Rangers have won in just over two years.Rangers have never failed to reach a domestic final since Walter Smith returned to the helm in 2007, with a UEFA Cup showpiece taking their total appearances to six.With Rangers' financial problems making them unable to make a permanent signing in the last three transfer windows, Naismith believes the settled nature of the squad has resulted in a willingness to battle for each other."Since the gaffer came in, we have taken every tournament to the last day," the former Kilmarnock forward said."That has had a good impact on us, we have a never-say-die attitude."Sunday was the prime example, our heads stayed up and we battled through and got a wee break and went on and scored the goal that won us the cup."The main thing for us is that we have been together for the last two or three years. I think that shows in the never-say-die attitude."We know how each other plays, we are comfortable with everybody and that has probably helped us along the way."The victory leaves Scottish Premier League leaders Rangers on course for a domestic treble, but Naismith admits they will have to improve on their Hampden display.Rangers continue their cup campaign on Wednesday with an Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against Dundee United at Tannadice."If we play like we did in the first half, it will be hard work," said 23-year-old Naismith."They were the far better team in the first half. They were unfortunate they didn't get their goal and that's what has cost them in the end."It was a wake-up call, the first-half performance, and hopefully one we can now progress from. We have a tough week and we'll just need to get through that and see where we're sitting."

Source: Team_Talk