Allan McGregor branded 'pathetic' as ex-Celtic star slams Rangers goalkeeper over Partick antics

Charlie Nicholas has criticised Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor for his initial attempts to stop Partick Thistle from scoring despite being under instructions to allow them to do so.

The former Celtic star branded McGregor "pathetic" for stepping in front of Scott Tiffoney after his team-mates had allowed the Partick forward to walk through to level the Scottish Cup tie at 2-2 following Malik Tillman's controversial strike.

Tillman had scored after pinching the ball from Thistle defender Kevin Holt, who was preparing to play the ball back to the hosts after it had been knocked out of play to allow the American to receive treatment.

Thistle reacted furiously, with tempers flaring on the pitch in the aftermath of Tillman’s goal, but Rangers manager Michael Beale defused the situation when he instructed his players to allow Partick to equalise, insisting afterwards it was "the right thing to do".

Partick's Scott Tiffoney is initially prevented from walking the ball into the net by Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

However, McGregor's antics led to a moment of awkwardness as Tiffoney was initially stopped in his tracks as he entered the Rangers box, before the 41-year-old eventually stepped aside and allowed the ball to be played into his net as boos rang around Ibrox.

Nicholas was unimpressed with the behaviour of the Rangers number one. He wrote in his Daily Express column: “What was Rangers keeper Allan McGregor looking to achieve by half-heartedly trying to stop Scott Tiffoney from scoring on Sunday?

"Ibrox manager Michael Beale had already told his players to step aside and let Partick Thistle equalise after the mix-up with Malik Tillman's goal. Tiffoney ran unopposed up the pitch until he got to McGregor, who decided to make life as difficult as he could for the striker to net past him. Why did he have to go through the whole rigmarole? Some people might have found it funny but I thought it was pretty pathetic from McGregor.

“Credit has to go to Beale for letting Thistle score their goal (mostly) uncontested. He quickly accepted the misunderstanding with Tillman, who had been stricken on the deck when his team-mates kicked the ball out of play for him. It was a great gesture from Rangers but some of the gloss was taken off by McGregor's antics."