Smith praises Rangers for being up for the cup

WALTER SMITH knows his current crop of players may not boast the glamour of previous Rangers teams. But the Ibrox boss insists the class of 2010 cannot be faulted for effort as they bid to take a step closer to a second cup final this season.

Rangers ousted St Johnstone in midweek to book a meeting with St Mirren in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final. But, before facing Gus MacPherson's men in that clash at Hampden next month, the holders are aiming to dispose of the Paisley side in the fifth round of the Active Nation Scottish Cup tomorrow.

Smith said: "Cup ties are not easy to gain consistency in, although I must say since I came back to the club that we've done remarkably well in that respect. We've managed to keep reaching the finals of tournaments we've been playing in and that has been a terrific achievement by the players.

"It's not an easy thing to do because every team can have really good days and really bad ones. If you're caught on a bad day, your opportunities can be limited."

Rangers' injury problems have been well documented but Saints striker Billy Mehmet believes they have enough quality within their ranks to cause problems for most teams. He said: "It doesn't matter who they play, they are the best team in Scotland just now so we know it's going to be difficult."