Rangers not counting on home advantage

Fraser Aird’s early strike in the quarter-final replay against the Second Division part-timers had eased the nerves among the Rangers support.

They relaxed altogether after the break when the former Tannadice striker knocked in a Richard Foster cross to complete the scoring in his team’s 2-0 win.

Attention immediately turned to the last-four tie where the Govan stadium, despite being agreed upon by all the clubs last October as the semi-final venue whilst Hampden is unavailable due to redevelopment work for the Commonwealth Games, had already become a bone of contention.

United made an official request to the Scottish Football Association to have the game changed to a neutral ground should the Scottish League 1 champions get past Rovers but that was rejected the governing body.

To add to their home comforts, Ally McCoist’s side will also be cheered on by the a significant majority of the support inside the stadium although United have scope to increase their original allocation of tickets.

However, Daly, who won the Scottish Cup with the Tannadice club before signing for Rangers last summer, said: “I don’t see Ibrox being an advantage. It is a semi-final, it is a one-off game, it is going to be a great atmosphere and I am sure it will be a fantastic battle between two good sides but I don’t see us playing at Ibrox as an advantage. It is going to be a good game and I am sure they are looking forward to it as well.

“They are a good side and they have got some really good young players .

“I am sure we will have to play as well as we can if we are going to come through the tie. It will be a difficult game but it is a chance to get through to the final of the national cup so we will give everything we have on the day and hopefully it is good enough.”

Rangers not counting on home advantage - Jon Daly