Barry Smith admits it will require an "exceptional" effort for his threadbare Alloa side to defeat Rangers this evening after revealing that he could be without nine key players.

Barry Smith admits it will require an "exceptional" effort for his threadbare Alloa side to defeat Rangers this evening after revealing that he could be without nine key players.

Smith, who watched Rangers register an impressive 3-0 win against Premiership opponents Kilmarnock on Sunday, believes the sight of Kris Boyd and Nicky Clark climbing from the bench at Ibrox sums up the challenge ahead.

David Weatherston, Iain Flannigan, Stephen Simmons, Graeme Holmes, John Gibson, Jonathan Tiffoney, Kevin Cawley and Jason Marr are all definitely out, and another unnamed player is touch-and-go for the Petrofac Training Cup semi-final. The injury crisis leaves Smith with just 11 outfield players to call upon, while the substitutes bench will be an assortment of teenagers, some of whom have never kicked a ball in senior football.

"It looks like I could have nine players out," said the former Dundee manager. "That would leave me with just 11 fit outfield players, but it is what it is and you just get on with it. I'll bring in some young ones but not many of them have first-team experience. It's not ideal going into a semi-final but we'll still feel we can win the game.

"It shows the difference between ourselves and Rangers: on Sunday they took off Kenny Miller and Jon Daly but brought Kris Boyd and Nicky Clark on. On my bench you'll have kids who haven't played a first-team game before."

At least Alloa can take heart from two stoic displays against the Glasgow side this season having registered 1-1 draws at home and away. Although down to the bare bones, Smith believes his side can trouble Rangers, even after a day at work. "Tremendous respect has to go to my players because they're part-time; they'll all come from their work and play a semi-final," said Smith. "Working during the day then playing is mentally tiring but our boys make sure they're ready.

"The expectation is on Rangers; we've not got any pressure on us at all. Will they like coming to Alloa, on Astroturf on a cold winter night under the lights? We'll see. We just want to make sure we perform the way we know we're capable of and see where it takes us."

Alloa, a lower league club for the bulk of their 136-year existence, have never defeated either half of the Old Firm, so to reach the Petrofac Training Cup final with a win over Rangers would represent arguably their greatest result.

"We'll have to play exceptionally well and get a bit of luck if we're going to go through," Smith acknowledged, "but you need to have the belief. If you don't think you can win, we'd be as well telling Rangers to just go through without playing us at all."