Annan Athletic defender-turned-striker Tommy Muir admitted Rangers quality ultimately told as the Ibrox side cruised to a 5–0 Scottish Cup fourth-round victory, but insisted the experience would benefit the part-time outfit in the long run.
Despite the heavy scoreline, Annan showed early promise at Ibrox, with Muir revealing the visitors felt encouraged by their opening spell before Rangers took control.
“I’m quite disappointed, but you can’t be too disappointed” Muir said.
“It’s a tough shift, the boys are a good group on the right foot, but you can see they’re fighting right to the end.
“It was a big occasion for the club, but the financial part of it was bigger and probably would have liked to come in, maybe it would have been good if we could have took one of our chances.”
Rangers fast start eventually overwhelmed Annan, but Muir admitted the opening ten minutes offered hope.
“I think I got excited, I put a shot for about 50 yards,” he laughed.
“I don’t think I’ve put a shot outside the box for ten years, but I think we get the first corner and you think we’re doing alright here, but then they get the first one, so you’ve got a bit of a different taste of football.”
Once Rangers found their rhythm, the gulf in class became clear. Muir pointed to the second-half set-pieces as a key factor in the emphatic scoreline - including a wonder strike from Thelo Aasgaard right at the death.
“I think three of the goals in the second half were set pieces. That’s the difference,” he said.
“Listen, we were on the good side, we did a bit of well, created chances, it was tough out there, but as I said, good.”
Rangers dominated possession and movement throughout, with Muir highlighting the difficulty of trying to press players of such quality.
“They move so sharp, you think the ball’s there to get you to nick it, you try to go and it’s picked off and it’s hard.”
Yet, even in defeat, Annan’s 1,100+ travelling support remained vocal, something Muir was keen to acknowledge.
“Good moment at the end with the fans? Brilliant,” he said.
“They stuck with us right to the end, they all stayed for the final whistle, it was really good to see that, them sticking by us at the end.
“I just wish we could have got a goal for them to send them home a bit happier.”
Rangers were rarely troubled, but Annan did come close to grabbing a consolation late on with a Scott Hooper effort from the edge of the area that slammed into the side netting of Liam Kelly’s goal.
“We nearly scored right at the end,” Muir added.
“A couple of good chances, one cleared off the line and one narrowly passed the post.”
With over a thousand Annan fans making the journey to Glasgow, Muir praised the support for a part-time club facing full-time opposition.
“It’s incredible,” he said.
“I just hope that a good few of them can come back to Galabank and the rest of the away games between now and the end of the season, really push us on for the players.”
While Rangers march on in the Scottish Cup, Annan now turn their focus back to League Two action, with Muir confident the experience of playing at Ibrox can drive improvement.
“100 per cent,” he said.
“You can see the Gaffer’s added bodies, so there’s good competition there, especially where we lacked that depth in the squad when we’ve had injuries or suspensions.
“But it’s all in play for now, plenty of competition for places, and I’m sure it’s a good place going forward.”
For Rangers, the night was another demonstration of their strength in depth and set-piece efficiency. For Annan, it was a harsh lesson in elite-level football – but one Muir believes will leave the club better prepared for the challenges ahead.